By: Ella Van Niel

At 11:00 am on Saturday, November 16, Planned Parenthood will be hosting a rally in Cleveland’s Public Square. The rally is organized by young people, for young people who object to Ohio Senator Rob Portman’s position on senate legislation. Planned Parenthood asserts that Portman’s beliefs on reproductive rights and gun control are regressive and threaten our generation.

Planned Parenthood was founded in 1916 to provide health care and information to women in order to ensure that they have ownership of their own bodies. Birth control was illegal at that time, and the concept of reproductive rights didn’t exist. Nine days after first opening, Planned Parenthood was raided by the police and its founders were arrested for spreading information about birth control. Over the years, due to efforts by Planned Parenthood and its founder Margaret Sanger, birth control was declared legal, the first birth control pill was developed, and abortion rights were expanded for women across America. Now, Planned Parenthood provides affordable treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptives, cancer screenings, and prenatal services.

Rob Portman is Ohio’s junior senator. He is republican, and in 2015, voted for a bill that would have taken away all public funding for Planned Parenthood. Rob Portman is also a staunch believer in the right to bear arms. He is endorsed by the NRA and voted against a bill proposed after the Sandy Hook shooting that would have required background checks on private gun sales. 

Planned Parenthood is demanding immediate action from Rob Portman. For more information about the rally, you can click here.