Planned Parenthood Keystone is requesting donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used specifically for abortions, despite a nationwide shortage of PPE to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Planned Parenthood of Keystone, Pennsylvania, posted Tuesday on Facebook requesting donations of PPE such as hand sanitizer and shoe covers. Planned Parenthood Keystone oversees nine health centers in eastern and central Pennsylvania and is a branch of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s largest abortion provider.

The request for donations is also posted on Planned Parenthood Keystone’s website.

“In uncertain times like this, Planned Parenthood is as committed to patients as always,” the organization said. “We will provide as many people as possible with the critical sexual healthcare they need to stay safe and healthy.”

Planned Parenthood Keystone is actually asking for donations of masks, hand sanitizer, shoe covers and surgical hats to use in performing elective abortions. #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/s1DK7F6OZZ

— Alison H.Centofante (@AlisonHowardC) March 26, 2020

“In order to help us do this, please consider donating hand sanitizer, home sewn masks, shoe covers, and surgical hats to protect our medical staff as they continue to provide care in our communities,” the request for donations added.

The PPE that Planned Parenthood Keystone is requesting will be used for abortions only, since Planned Parenthood Keystone has stated that it will only be performing abortions. Planned Parenthood Keystone announced Tuesday that all of its health centers intended for “family planning visits” are closed effective March 23.

“At this time,” the group posted on Facebook in bold lettering, “Planned Parenthood Keystone is serving patients in Allentown, Wilkes-Barre, Warminster, Reading, York, and Harrisburg for abortion services only.”

The Planned Parenthood branch’s request for PPE came as the death toll and number of cases of COVID-19 increase in the United States and multiple state health departments ban abortions to preserve PPE.

Hospitals, health workers and health officials have emphasized the shortage of PPE to care for coronavirus victims. Citizens have begun to take matters into their own hands by crafting and donating PPE, while President Donald Trump said more supplies are on their way.

“Through FEMA, the federal government is distributing more than 8 million N95 respirators, 14 million surgical masks and many, many millions more under order — and they’ll be arriving soon,” Trump said at a White House coronavirus briefing Tuesday, NPR reported.

WATCH:

Nurses outside the Kaiser Oakland hospital are singing “we need PPE [personal protective equipment]” right now in protest of shortages and rules limiting protective masks they can wear. #coronavirus #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/8bu8YOWkoz

— Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) March 24, 2020

Lack of PPE caused the California Nurses Association to consider helping individual nurses invoke a legal refusal to provide care, according to NBC News. In some cases, nurses have reportedly written wills out of fear that the lack of PPE will lead to their own demise.

“We are really afraid now — there are nurses writing their wills,” an Oakland Kaiser nurse who spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation, told NBC. “There are many people considering their mortality. It’s bad.”

Live Action founder and president Lila Rose condemned Planned Parenthood of Keystone’s actions in a Thursday tweet, saying, “At a time when real healthcare workers risk their lives with limited PPE to help save lives, abortion facilities demand PPE to continue taking lives.”

At a time when real healthcare workers risk their lives with limited PPE to help save lives, abortion facilities demand PPE to continue taking lives. https://t.co/yUjTnQbVhY

— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) March 26, 2020

Neither Planned Parenthood nor Planned Parenthood Keystone responded to requests for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].