MISHAWAKA — They weren’t looking to cause a big ruckus Tuesday afternoon, but they wanted to make sure their message was loud and clear.

“Thou Shalt Not Kill.”

Several members of Right to Life of St. Joseph County lined the sidewalk in front of the Planned Parenthood, 3005 Grape Road, on Tuesday — despite freezing temperatures and falling snow — to protest the clinic’s one-day free emergency contraception giveaway.

“We believe it’s a form of abortion,” said John Kominkiewicz, office coordinator at Right to Life, amid honks from drivers who passed the clinic. “And we totally disagree with that.”

According to Planned Parenthood, which announced the giveaway less than two weeks ago, emergency contraception lowers the risk of pregnancy when started within 72 hours and up to 120 hours of unprotected intercourse. Health center officials decided to sponsor the event statewide Tuesday as spring break looms for many Indiana college students who need to be reminded of the importance of responsible sexual behavior.

“They could’ve done it on a nice day,” Kominkiewicz said with a chuckle, “but they did it on a day we got a big snow.”

But the winter weather didn’t put a damper on the number of area residents who stopped by the Mishawaka office Tuesday. As of 5 p.m., the office had given away 34 doses of emergency contraception — a boost from the 25 doses it was expecting to give out, Planned Parenthood communications manager Steve Carr said.

Many clients at the center declined to speak to The Tribune on Tuesday, and Carr said the organization strove to protect the confidentiality of its patients. Valparaiso and Evansville centers also had a giveaway Tuesday, with the state’s other seven centers slated to do this in March and April. The doses are privately funded through the women’s health fund.

Although Planned Parenthood officials said emergency contraception should only be used in an emergency situation — not as a main source of birth control — Right to Life members argue that Planned Parenthood is deceiving women by telling them that the drug is only a contraceptive and not an abortifacient.

The contraceptive works like a regular birth control pill, preventing pregnancy by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary and also possibly preventing the fertilization of an egg. But the drug also can work by preventing the egg from attaching to the uterus, which makes it an abortifacient, Kominkiewicz said — a claim Planned Parenthood disagrees with.

Also, not many members of the public understand the seriousness of side effects such as blood clots, high blood pressure and stroke, said Sue Brazo, a registered nurse who retired from Memorial Hospital.

Although abortion and emergency contraception are legal, Right to Life believes women deserve to be completely informed about the consequences of drugs being dispensed to them, St. Joseph County President Tom Gill wrote in a letter.

Peaceful protesters held up other signs that read “æ‘Morning after pill’ can kill a child” and “P.P. exploits teens,” making a point not to block access to the office, they said.

The contraception normally costs $32.