By Dianne Anderson

It goes without saying that Black and Brown women are most at risk for breast and cervical cancer, but least likely to access free local screenings, which brought Planned Parenthood supporters out once more to Fontana City Council this week.

And, sometimes silence speaks louder than words.

On Tuesday, they brought their traveling billboard, wore t-shirts and held up signs to oppose a permitting moratorium that they say prevents service for the area’s most vulnerable low-income women.

Planned Parenthood spokesperson Nichole Ramirez said the hope is that Fontana’s city leaders will drop the moratorium to allow the construction permit because roughly 2,000 medical visits each month are going unmet.

“We offer life-saving cancer screenings, breast exams and pap tests,” she said. “The vast majority of our services include birth control, STI [Sexually Transmitted Infection] testing and treatment. That’s incredibly important in San Bernardino County because residents have a higher than average rate of STIs.”

All along, she said the intent was to remind City Council of the need to stop the moratorium against the health center, but also consider the sheer amount of wasted money.

Between rent and other costs, she said Planned Parenthood has spent a lot while waiting on their vacant property that could be used to serve women in need.

“It’s been over a year we continued to pay rent, getting contracting architects and drawing is over $1 million. Every year, we spend roughly $3 million on services to people unable to pay. It’s kind of taking money away from people who need services,” she said.

At the last council meeting, supporters wore pink Planned Parenthood shirts and held up individual signs of the importance of the facility for the community. She said the mobile unit is not loud, although they usually have some supportive speakers inside the chamber to support the facility.

They’ve also taken their roving mobile billboard around the city to show the services offered and to educate the community.

Location is also a big focus for the organization, as their other Planned Parenthood health centers in Upland and San Bernardino are about a half-hour drive, depending on traffic. However, most of their patients don’t own a car, and bus stops are essential to get access to the health center.

But legal issues take time.

Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties filed a lawsuit in San Bernardino Superior Court last December against the city of Fontana to establish its health center. The city is blocking permitting on the vacant land at 9699 Sierra Ave.

Despite overwhelming voter passage of Proposition 1 last year, the organization’s lawsuit against the city is based on that new law that says blocking access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, is unconstitutional.

“The fact that it’s unconstitutional makes it even crazier,” she said. “This may be one of the first lawsuits specific to Prop 1 and a local municipality blocking access to care for their community.”

Given the community’s needs, she said Fontana residents are more likely to be on services, such as Medi-Cal. In the next ten years, even more people are projected to be below the federal poverty level.

“We never turn anyone away. We offer comprehensive high quality direct health services, but it’s also affordable — if not free,” she said. “We’re also educating the community so they understand that their local City Council is the one that has been blocking us.”

Some of the fight may stem from the politically charged issue of abortion, but she emphasized abortion is a small part of Planned Parenthood services.

The organization reports that a higher percentage of Fontana citizens, 30.5%, are uninsured or on Medi-Cal, compared to the rest of California. Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Bernardino County residents have higher average rates of STIs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, than the rest of the state or the nation.

If the health facility is allowed, it would provide over 36,000 medical visits annually for the city’s residents with appointments offered seven days a week, and create at least 24 local jobs.

The Office of Minority Health Reports that in the four years ending 2019, Black women were as likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, but nearly 40% more likely to die from breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic white women.

They also report Hispanic women are 40% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, but 30% more likely to die from cervical cancer compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Now that Roe v. Wade is dead, Ramirez said so much is going on at the national level with the Supreme Court, but the difference today in California is that state law is on its side through the passage of Proposition 1.

“This is very personal for us because it’s our local patients. We felt we had to stand up for them, if we didn’t there would be nobody to do it. We’re always going to be there and fight the fight for them,” Ramirez said.

Last month, the City posted its press release on Facebook with a Statement on Planned Parenthood v. City of Fontana et al.

The city addressed the temporary moratorium that it said is based on a comprehensive land study initiated in late 2021 on revitalizing downtown Fontana, with a pause on new developments projected to expire in late July.

“With Fontana experiencing a surge in development, City staff advised, and the City Council agreed, to temporarily halt new projects on key sections of Sierra Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. This pause allows for a detailed land use analysis by an external consultant. The ongoing study will assess all commercial properties within the affected corridors, aiming to offer recommendations to the Planning Commission and City Council on specific uses to enhance economic growth,” the release said.