I don't agree with abortion, so you shouldn't have one.

Nearly 40 people gathered around the Bettendorf Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa Tuesday morning to protest abortions.

While local groups such as Helpers of God's Precious Infants are a familiar scene among the daily protesters, a few other groups in town took part in what they called a "prayer siege."

Mr. Gallaway said he "loves" every person who enters the clinic and wants them to know they don't have to make this decision and don't have to go through their pregnancy alone.

"One girl has already turned around today," he said. "She went with one of our girls to get an ultrasound. In Charlotte, we had 18 girls turn around one day, and we had a huge baby shower for all of them. They saw that someone cared. That's what we're about."

While the protesters are peaceful, their presence can intimidate Planned Parenthood patients, whether they're coming to the clinic for an abortion or just for contraceptives and a yearly exam.

"It's definitely a distraction for patients," said Kathi Di Nicola, director of marketing and communications for Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. "Every woman has the right to get her health care unimpeded and unobstructed. What they're doing ... it takes away their privacy."

Ms. Di Nicola said 98 percent of the clinic's patients come for prevention and family planning. As long as protesters don't block access to the clinic, Planned Parenthood respects their right to freedom of speech and their right to be there.

"Women coming to pick up pills are intimidated. For women seeking general health-care services, this is very threatening to them ... Our staff in the Quad-Cities is very, very adept at handling these situations, and we're proud of how the clinic operates," she added.

I'm sure that none of these committed people would ever have an abortion. Good. But why they feel the need to impose their beliefs on others I will never understand. One wonders just how much commitment and support these people give to the women whom they intimidate out of getting abortions once the women are further along in their pregnancy and after the birth when they're struggling to adequately care for the child.

These folks profess a desire for a "culture of life", but a cynical person might wish that they'd all get one themselves and stop interfering in other people's personal lives.