Hundreds march in opposition to proposed Planned Parenthood facility in Fontana

A proposal has been made for a new Planned Parenthood facility in Fontana, and even though the approval process is in the very early stages, the project has already generated much controversy.

Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties (PPOSBC) wants to establish the facility on the northeast corner of Sierra and San Bernardino avenues.

“The project is currently under staff review,” said Monique Carter, the City of Fontana communications and marketing manager, on June 6. “At present, no definitive hearing date has been determined.”

In San Bernardino County, Planned Parenthood has locations in the cities of San Bernardino, Victorville, and Upland.

“Fontana is a medically underserved community, and it’s important to ensure that residents can get comprehensive health care,” said Nichole Ramirez, the senior vice president of communication and donor relations for PPOSBC.

However, because abortion is one of the services provided by Planned Parenthood, a large protest against the facility was held on June 2.

Hundreds of people, most of them from local churches, walked down city streets to the site of the proposed facility. Many of the marchers from St. Joseph Catholic Church carried anti-abortion signs, some of which said “Let God Plan Parenthood” and “Pray to End Abortion.”

Fontana resident Kimberly Chavez, an organizer of the simultaneous “peaceful pro-life prayer walk” that originated at Bethel Christian Fellowship, said she had multiple abortions when she was younger.

“I regret them severely,” she said. “I know that I’m forgiven and set free, and I just want to prevent them from happening to any other young women who might be facing a choice.”

----- AT THE same time as the march, a small number of pro-choice advocates also gathered at the location on the busy intersection to express their views.

“I am here to stand for Planned Parenthood,” said Britney Gomez-Landeros, a Fontana resident. “Abortion is a human right.”

Even though the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, abortion is legal in most circumstances in California.

According to Planned Parenthood, the proposed facility has the potential to provide residents with more than 36,000 medical visits each year.

The services that would be offered at the Fontana location include multiple types of cancer screening, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), contraception, health education and counseling, colposcopy tests for advanced cervical cancer screening, and pregnancy tests, in addition to abortion.

“PPOSBC offers low- to no-cost healthcare. No one is turned away. PPOSBC provides care regardless of insurance, immigration status, or ability to pay,” the organization said in a statement.

The Fontana location would create at least 24 local jobs, PPOSBC said.

Responding to the protesters, PPOSBC’s statement said that “it is unfortunate this group has chosen to protest a healthcare facility that would bring significant benefits to their own community.”

----- HOWEVER, the protesters said that Planned Parenthood’s defense of abortion is unacceptable.

Anna Tran, one of the speakers at a pre-march rally at Bethel Christian Fellowship, explained why she was participating in the event.

“Unfortunately, as an ungodly woman when I was young, I had an abortion,” she said. She would not have undergone the procedure if she had the knowledge and resources she has today, she said.

“Now that I know better, I would never murder my child, because they’re innocent,” she said. “We should be the voice for the voiceless at all times and educate people about what resources we have available, so that they don’t end their precious babies’ lives.”

Chavez said that her church provides that needed assistance to women.

“At Bethel, there is a support group for those who choose to keep their babies,” Chavez said. “We would love to have anyone in a crisis pregnancy talk to us, so that we can show them support and help them with their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs.”

Daniel Vasquez, the pastor of Calvary Chapel Fontana, attended the protest.

“As Christians, we must stand up for the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn,” Vasquez said. “Abortion is the taking of a human life, and it is always wrong. We must work to create a culture of life, where every child is loved and valued, and where mothers are supported and empowered to choose life for their babies.”