Pledge-a-protester is “slimy”

Today I made my facebook status a link to Planned Parenthood’s Pledge-a-Protester donation site.  In less than an hour of posting it one friend "liked" the status while another left a comment.  Here’s what she said:

"This is slimy. I’m sorry, but think about it. You have a belief. You go out and exercise your right to voice that belief. People who believe the opposite of what you believe are playing this game of counting how many of you there are and making money on the basis that you are exercising your right to represent your belief in the world. I happen to be pro-life, but this would be disgusting to me no matter what the issue was. I mean people are going out to try to effect some kind of change and their very presence whether they know it or not is fueling financially what they are protesting against. I would feel the same way if it were the other way around and this was a pro-life profit on the pro-choice protesters. It’s just disgusting to capitalize on other people’s right to go out and voice their beliefs. If people want to donate money to some organization you support, do it in a dignified and non-slimy way."

I am still shaking from reading and commenting on that.  Here is what I said, by the way:

"It is not right to stand in the way of someone’s right to get the services that are LEGAL for them to get. Too many of these protesters harass clients or employees or videotape them. And many people going in to Planned Parenthood are NOT getting an abortion. So those protesters are not actually protesting what they think they are. Less than 10 % of PP’s services are abortions. They are getting in the way of people’s health care.

The Pledge-a-protester campaign is merely a creative way of raising money. (just as any fundraising campaign, the more creative, the better the response. No different than raising money for walks, etc) The protesters have a right to stand there and we have a right to give money to PP to support them when they are faced with so much opposition during these 40 days.

My right to pledge-a-protester is not more or less valid than their right to protest. They want to hinder and I want to help."

Thoughts?