DERRY — Every week for the past 18 months, minister David Costello has joined with a small group of sidewalk protestors on Birch Street in Derry to voice his opinion about a business he feels is a threat to the community.

Holding signs that read, "No Planned Parenthood," and "Pray for the end of abortion," the goal of the protestors is ultimately to shut down a business they say is harmful to residents, and most of all, to children.

Costello, from the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Salem, admits that protesting on the sidewalk outside a Planned Parenthood clinic doesn't make him popular. The reaction from the community regarding the protestors' efforts has been mixed. Some people honk or wave in affirmation, but at times he has experienced name-calling, hurtful comments and obscene gestures. His goal is to get people in the community to talk and think, but he said people rarely stop to talk.

"Planned Parenthood encourages teenagers to be sexually active and sexually irresponsible," Costello said. "I think it is important that we protest, and it is worth it if we have just a few people talk to us and think about (the negatives) a little bit more."

Costello's concerns about Planned Parenthood include the age of children getting medical advice and what he deems to be the lack of education and the amount of tax money that the clinic receives each year.

Ann Larney, the NH Planned Parenthood public affairs director, wishes that instead of working against Planned Parenthood, the protestors would join them in the mission to work toward comprehensive education, good decision-making, and opening parent-child communication efforts by speaking to teens and parents about the issues surrounding sexuality.

"Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is the largest provider of reproductive health services in New Hampshire," Larney said. "We have seven health centers and provide support to 18,000 patients a year. Our focus and goal is to provide high-quality health care, and we work very hard to prevent unplanned pregnancies and provide comprehensive education that encourages teens to work with their parents. We work extraordinarily hard to do extensive sexual education."

According to Larney, Planned Parenthood provides a wide spectrum of preventive health care, including gynecological care, and screenings for hypertension, anemia, diabetes, breast and cervical cancers, as well as other cancers, and they also work to provide pre- and post-menopausal care. Larney said 97 percent of their efforts go to preventive medical care.

Since 2007, the Northern New England Planned Parenthood education training teams have provided almost 1,500 programs, Larney said. The health education outreach program is a resource that provides education and information about issues such as abstinence, health and relationship issues.

"We do not just simply hand out pills," Larney said. "We work with our patients, and we are responsible health care providers. We have been in New England for over 40 years and are respected in the health care community."

Despite the education efforts, Costello said the protesters want parents and other adults in the community to be aware that Planned Parenthood supplies "morning after" pills, condoms, birth control devices, and other forms of contraceptives to adolescents.

"Some of these kids are 12 years old and they are going into the office and they are giving them condoms," he said. "To start being sexually active at 12 or 13 years old is ridiculous. No child at that age is mature enough to handle that experience in a reproductive way."

Jeannette Dufour, another protester from Salem, said she also has seen middle school age children receive condoms.

"I met these boys, 11 years old, on their skateboards going to get condoms. He told me how old he was, and he had two condoms. One was for his 12th birthday, which he was going to use to celebrate," Dufour recalled.

Dufour said that when she asked the boy how many partners he would have in his life before he got married, he told her 15. When she asked him what he would do if his last partner, the one he married, couldn't have kids because of something like a previous abortion or an STD, the boy responded, "I would never marry anyone who went to Planned Parenthood."

Larney said that the staff is trained to make an assessment of whether a teenager is able to make an informed decision or not. As far as she knows, no 12-year-old has ever been provided services at Planned Parenthood, and the majority of patients are between the ages of 18 and 25.

"We don't have an absolute age minimum, but there is an assessment of maturity and appropriateness, and we encourage a minor to talk with their parent or an adult," Larney said. "There is no requirement for parental consent but we encourage it all the time."

Another issue Costello has with the clinic is the $300 million in tax money per year that goes to Planned Parenthood and is subsidized by the federal government. Dufour has been protesting outside Planned Parenthood along with Costello. She agrees that the amount of money going toward the clinic is wrong.

"I don't want my tax money to go to paying for that organization to stay open. Why don't we just teach kids to be responsible?" Dufour said. "I want the public to be educated and know what is going on in their community, and I want people to be outraged," she said.

Larney said as far as funding is concerned, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England does receive Title X federal funding, but it is for preventive health care only. She is not sure where the protestors got the $300 million tax figure from.

"We are no different than any other provider of contraceptive and gynecological care. We encourage parental involvement and the federal funds only go toward our family planning and preventive services. Title X is very highly regulated and we are inspected and examined by them. We report regularly and we continue to get funding because we provide such good services."

Costello said he remains realistic in terms of his protesting efforts. Although people's minds aren't necessarily changed because people carry signs in front of a clinic, he will continue his efforts in hopes of encouraging people in the community to think before they act.

Derry police Captain Vern Thomas said that in the RSA statute, section 644:2 the rules regarding public protesting are clearly stated.

"People have a right to peacefully protest, it is a federal law and one of their rights. We can't make an ordinance or law against it. 644:2, otherwise known as 'Disorderly Conduct,' states what people can't do in public," Thomas said. "If someone decides they want to protest at Planned Parenthood, they can't be on the property because that is trespassing, so that puts them on the street or sidewalk, and RSA 644:2 rules pertain to that situation."

Thomas said that people can peacefully protest in front of any business as long as they do not go on the property. If they are on public property, they are not allowed to inconvenience the traffic or the public. They also need to be careful of their commentary and how large their crowd gets, because there is a public gathering ordinance in Derry that requires a permit.

"They have a right to hold their signs, provided that they do not provide a public inconvenience," Thomas said. "Generally speaking, sometimes protestors will attempt to confront others, to try to express their views, and people have a right to not have that happen to them."

Thomas said Derry police officers have responded on more than one occasion to the area to make sure that people are acting lawfully and aren't blocking a driveway or sidewalk and aren't on private property. He encourages people to come forward if they feel they have been confronted in a negative manner.

Violent protesting is not Costello's intention at all, he said. He has an opposite goal.

"As long as we knew that one life was saved, and one baby is carried to full term and delivered, it would make it worth all the time we have spent there and more," Costello said.

According to Dufour, organizations like Planned Parenthood are taking advantage and profiting off young kids who aren't aware of what they are getting into. Her ideal end goal is to see the doors of Planned Parenthood shut for good.

"When something is wrong, you have to make a stand for what is right. To me, if I help one kid turn their life around, that is good enough," Dufour said. "If I can make one kid think about what they are doing and the danger they are putting themselves in, that is what is important. You can't just ignore it."