Planned Parenthood Celebrates 35 Years of Fredom on Roe v. Wade Anniversary

CLEVELAND OH—On the anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio celebrated 35 years of freedom for women and families and vowed to continue the fight to protect women’s health, increase access to affordable health care and birth control, and expand access to comprehensive sex ed.

“Roe v. Wade is a powerful reminder that deciding whether and when to become a parent is one of the most personal and important choices we make,” said Tara Broderick, CEO. “As the nation’s leading provider and advocate of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand that when women and couples have access to high-quality, affordable health care, they are able to plan healthy families.”

Locally, Planned Parenthood joins other partners in the Freedom of Choice Coalition to present “Abortion in a Hostile Environment” with Louise Melling from the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple at 6:30 p.m. The Freedom of Choice Cleveland Coalition is an alliance of Cleveland area organizations that proactively support safe and legal access to abortion and birth control for all women. For more information call 216-961-8804 ext. 1209.

Every year, in communities nationwide, Planned Parenthood provides millions of women, men and teens with the information, education and services they need to protect their health, prevent unintended pregnancy, plan and space healthy, wanted pregnancies — and ultimately, to fulfill their dreams and destinies.

“The right to a safe and legal abortion is supported by the majority of Americans, but we also recognize that there is so much more our country can and should do to help women and couples prevent unintended pregnancies,” said Broderick. Nearly seventeen million women in this country need access to subsidized family planning services, but there is not enough funding to meet the need. The CDC recently reported that teen birthrates are on the rise for the first time in 14 years. We owe it to young people to provide health and sexuality education that enables them to make lifelong responsible choices about relationships, respect and sexuality.”

“Thirty-five years after Roe, the struggle to protect women’s health and safety continues, and it is time for Ohio legislators and the Bush administration to stop playing politics with public health,” added Broderick. “Planned Parenthood is calling on elected officials to work with us to expand access to reproductive health care and real sex education for women and families.”

To learn more about the historic Roe v. Wade ruling and other reproductive health issues, visit http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policyissues/courts-judiciary/roe-v-wade-6578.htm.

Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio is a recent consolidation of Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland, Planned Parenthood of North Central Ohio, Planned Parenthood of Stark County, Planned Parenthood of Summit, Portage and Medina Counties, and Planned Parenthood of the Mahoning Valley. We provide essential reproductive health care services to more than 50,000 women and men in our local Northeast Ohio communities. We serve as a leader in breast and cervical cancer screening and prevention, as well as prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted disease. We supply medically accurate sexuality education to thousands of young people and their parents.

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