TOLEDO– Planned Parenthood is often derided as simply an abortion clinic, but 25 percent of their 600 locations nationwide don’t even offer abortions. The Toledo location is one such example. Instead, the Toledo Planned Parenthood provides a range of reproductive and sexual health services to all demographics—services that foster safe, healthy lives.
An anonymous spokesperson from the Toledo Planned Parenthood health center further clarified their boundaries of care, emphasizing the organization’s attention to diverse services.
“We have abortion centers in Cleveland and Columbus, but do not perform the procedure in Toledo. Though it is often assumed that we only provide care to women, in reality, we provide a litany of services important for a healthy life, regardless of gender.”
These services include different types of birth control. The pill, the ring, IUDs, and the Nexplanon implant are available to patients via a scheduled visit. STI testing, pap smears, and gender-affirming care are also available during a scheduled appointment.
The Toledo location provides free condoms and Plan B to individuals on a walk-in basis. They are available for pickup at the health center or via a discreet mail-order program for Ohio residents aged 16 and older, with a limit of one order per 30 days. No parental consent is required for individuals 16 and older.
The organization’s vice president of community engagement seconded the misconceptions, highlighting that people often think that the Toledo Planned Parenthood does not provide parental support.
“We work with parents when it comes to assisting with reproductive health conversations. We support parental involvement… Anecdotally, we see a lot of patients for gender-affirming care. Approximately one-fourth of our total patient volume in January was here for gender-affirming care services.”
The Toledo Planned Parenthood offers gender-affirming care services to adults aged 18 or older. Puberty Hormone replacement therapy is provided to patients, and mental health support is a common practice too. The Toledo Planned Parenthood does not perform surgical procedures, including gender-confirmation surgery, but staff can refer patients to their preferred clinic if that is what they are looking for. Information on gender-affirming care services is available on their website.
Funding
Despite fighting back against these misconceptions, the Toledo Planned Parenthood and other Ohio-based Planned Parenthood health centers continue to face funding cuts. In January, The Toledo Free Press spoke with Erin Thompson, director of communications for Planned Parenthood Greater Ohio, argues that funding has been in flux due to targeted attacks from the Trump Administration.
“For example, we’ve been a recipient of Title X funds since 1971, just a year after the program was established, and have only been blocked from receiving those funds twice: during Trump’s first term and again last summer. Though these funds have been released to us again, there is uncertainty around whether we will receive them past March.”
Planned Parenthood was cut from the Medicaid program through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” last summer, significantly impacting patients in the Toledo area and thousands of other patients in Ohio.
With the loss of Medicaid and other funding cuts, many patients in Toledo cannot access the healthcare that they need. The spokesperson from the Toledo location says that their staff have had to turn patients away daily.
“We have been referring patients elsewhere when possible, and we try to accommodate what we can.”
When patients are unable to be accommodated, Toledo Planned Parenthood refers them to the Toledo Lucas County Health Department—an organization that also offers affordable reproductive health care and birth control.
The Toledo Planned Parenthood still accepts private insurance, Medicare, and has a sliding fee scale for most services. The sliding fee scale is based on income and household size, which can significantly reduce costs for uninsured or low-income patients. The Toledo Planned Parenthood typically charges less than hospital-affiliated clinics, which often charge higher fees for office visits. They have more information on insurance and price of care on their website.
Community involvement
Although the national dialogue surrounding Planned Parenthood can be confusing, the staff the Toledo location say that simply paying attention to local changes, volunteering, and donating when possible helps them to continue their services. Their vice president of community engagement emphasizes:
“Donate, share your stories, pay attention to legislation and policy changes that impact us and ultimately harm patient access.”
The team at the Toledo Planned Parenthood is continually accepting patients when they can. Thompson reiterates that their ultimate goal is to provide people with the comprehensive healthcare they deserve.
“We are here. Our doors are open. We remain as committed to providing healthcare to the communities who need us as we ever have… we’ve introduced new services, such as menopause care, ultrasound dating, pharmacy delivery, and more in 2025. This year, we look forward to providing these services to all of our patients.”
