Planned Parenthood presses Fontana to lift ban preventing clinic opening

As originally published in the San Bernardino Sun on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. 

Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties say that 2,000 Fontana residents are denied healthcare each month after city leaders blocked the opening of a Sierra Avenue clinic.

Volunteers and representatives from the organization visited the stalled clinic site Tuesday, Feb. 27, tying pink ribbons to fencing on the property as part of a public campaign to convince Fontana to lift a ban on development at the clinic site.

Sadaf Rahmani, public affairs director for Planned Parenthood, called Fontana a “healthcare desert” lacking affordable medical care. She said she hoped the Fontana City Council would hear the voices of the community and understand why a clinic is needed.

“We want to offer a visual representation of what we mean when we say this is essential health care that the community needs,” Rahmani said Tuesday. “Each one of those ribbons represents the patient. And so I think having this visual representation is so important and hopefully this helps drive the message home even further.”

Planned Parenthood estimates 2,000 patients are being denied care they’d receive at the Fontana site based on a 20% increase in patient volumes at other clinics in San Bernardino County, according to Andrea Schmidt, public affairs senior project manager.

A city spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Volunteers with Planned Parenthood tied 2,000 pink ribbons on the fence around the site of the stalled health center.

Planned Parenthood reported an increase in patient volume in San Bernardino following the Supreme Court’s vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Abortion restrictions in neighboring states have pushed more patients to California for care, according to Planned Parenthood.

Schmidt, a life-long resident of Fontana, said her personal experience growing up in the city and attending local schools showed her the city is medically underserved and would benefit from the Planned Parenthood clinic.

“Fontana also has a higher rate of uninsured and folks on Medi-Cal (California’s public health insurance program) than the state average as well,” Schmidt said. “So we just think that really exemplifies the need for this increased access.”

Planned Parenthood filed a suit against Fontana in December 2023 after the council enacted a moratorium barring the construction of its clinic.

The suit filed in San Bernardino Superior Court alleges the city violated its citizens’ constitutional rights.

Californians approved Proposition 1 in 2022, amending the state Constitution to enshrine access to abortion and contraception throughout the state.

“Fontana residents, Fontana voters in 2022 overwhelmingly voted to support Proposition 1 which enshrined the right to abortion and contraceptives into our California state constitution,” said Schmidt. “So now we have the legal right to exhaustively get those services. So the council is unlawfully blocking us … that’s why we’re suing.”

Planned Parenthood leased the land for its proposed Sierra Avenue clinic in May 2022 and in late July 2023, shortly after receiving verbal approval to move the project forward, was notified the council had placed a moratorium on construction at the site.

On Sept. 5, the council extended the moratorium for an additional 10 months and 15 days.

Planned Parenthood plans to keep the ribbons and signs up at the clinic site and will also have a mobile billboard traveling throughout the city until 6 p.m. Tuesday.

This is a developing story.