Oregon Public Broadcasting

Abortion rights advocates are still hoping to salvage a proposal for a planned parenthood clinic in Pasco, Washington.

This week Pasco's planning commission voted down the idea.

The city officials agreed with critics who say there would be too much disturbance to the neighborhood from protestors. Correspondent Anna King has the story.

Pasco is largely an agricultural hub for Southeastern Washington and is home to many lower-income farmworkers.

As such, the city started attracting many non-profits. In response, Pasco required all new non-profits to get a special permit.

Anna Franks is president of Planned Parenthood of Central Washington in Yakima. She says this week's planning commission vote-down was purely political.

Anna Franks: “I need to point out that what we have here are protestors, protesting against Planned Parenthood that there may be protestors at our clinic. So the irony in that is just appalling to me quite frankly.”

But opponents argued that the clinic would be located near a school.

Franks says Planned Parenthood is asking the planning commission to reconsider because the county has one of the highest teen pregnancy and STD rates in Washington State.