Miss America From Walnut Creek Criticized Over Planned Parenthood Internship

WALNUT CREEK (KPIX 5) -- The woman who grew up in the East Bay and won the Miss America pageant earlier this week is under fire for a recent internship with Planned Parenthood.

Miss New York Kira Kazantsev grew up in Walnut Creek and moved to the East Coast to attend college five years ago.

An entry on her LinkedIn profile shows Kazantsev interned with Planned Parenthood in New York last year. Her profile has since been removed, but not before setting off a firestorm on Twitter, particularly among conservatives.

"It's kind of sad that someone with this kind of exposure has that on her resume," said Cecilia Cody of the California Right to Life Education Fund.

Cody said she is withholding judgment until she finds out exactly what Kazantsev did during her three month internship with the organization. "Maybe it's something in her past and it's not gonna be part of her platform," she said.

Speaking by phone, Kira's mother Julia told KPIX 5 that her daughter taught sex education and said she would leave it to her daughter to reveal her stand on abortion.

"This hate around Planned Parenthood is total ignorance," Julie said.

Kira has not commented on her affiliation with Planned Parenthood. But the Miss America Organization released a statement saying her internship allowed her to advocate against child abuse.