US election 2016: 'Mike Pence' gifts to abortion provider surge

• 1 hour ago
• From the section US Election 2016

Share

Image copyright AP

Donations to US abortion provider Planned Parenthood in the name of Vice President-elect Mike Pence have surged.

Donald Trump's running mate, who has been a long-time opponent of Planned Parenthood, will be sent a gift certificate for every donation made.
The campaign, aimed at embarrassing Mr Pence, began in 2011 when as an Indiana congressman he introduced several anti-abortion measures.
They included the first bill to strip the provider of all federal funding.
What is Planned Parenthood?
Who is Indiana Governor Mike Pence?
What Donald Trump is planning on abortion
'Hello governor, I have my period'
In March this year, as Indiana governor, Mr Pence signed an anti-abortion bill that is seen as one of the most restrictive in the US, barring abortion in Indiana on the basis of disability, gender or race of the foetus.
Parts of that law were blocked by the courts, but not until after a social media backlash which saw women phoning or tweeting Mr Pence details about their menstrual cycles under the hash tag #periodsforpence.
Mike Pence's anti-abortion stance mirrors that of President-elect Trump, who wants to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, and who has in the past said women should be punished for undergoing an abortion if it were made illegal, though he later withdrew the statement.
There had already been a significant rise in gifts to the country's biggest abortion provider in the wake of Mr Trump's election last week.
But then over the weekend, many women went on social media to say they had made a donation in Mike Pence's name.