Abortion Protesters Picket Clinic in Burbank : Demonstration: They contend that the new Planned Parenthood office postponed a scheduled opening on Good Friday.

More than 40 abortion protesters on Friday picketed a new Planned Parenthood clinic in Burbank, saying the organization’s directors were “blasphemous” for planning to open the office on Good Friday.

Although Planned Parenthood officials insisted that the clinic was not opening Friday and would not accept clients for at least another week, members of Operation Rescue and other anti-abortion groups said the opening was abruptly postponed because of the protest.

“We’re enraged that they would even think about opening on Good Friday,” said Monika Moreno, spokeswoman for the state chapter of Operation Rescue. “This has never been done before. It shows a blatant disrespect for people who are to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ.”

Good Friday, which comes before Easter, marks the religious observation of the crucifixion of Christ.

Holding signs that read “Save Unborn Babies” and “Rescue Moms and Babies,” the protesters marched for more than an hour outside the clinic, situated on the second floor of the Burbank Terrace mini-mall at 916 W. Burbank Blvd.

“We will not allow Planned Parenthood to sneak into cities and quietly open up overnight,” said Jeff White, state director of Operation Rescue. “We will expose them and the doctors.”

Several of the marchers displayed large graphic pictures of what they said were aborted or killed fetuses.

A few pro-choice demonstrators verbally clashed with the protesters, but there were no physical conflicts. Several Burbank police officers monitored the proceedings.

Marie Paris, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood, said the new Burbank clinic would provide several services, including adoption counseling and abortion referral. But she said abortions would not be performed there.

“It’s not a surgical site,” she said. “There are three of our clinics that perform abortions, but this will not be one of them.”

She added that she was angered by the Good Friday protest. “They forget that this is a multicultural, multiracial society,” Paris said. “Not everyone observes Good Friday. Also, this is a health organization, not a religious organization.”

The protest marked the beginning of Operation Rescue’s fourth annual Holy Week in California, Moreno said. She said group members would stage a “rescue” at an unspecified Planned Parenthood clinic today to discourage women from seeking abortions.