Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown is raising alarms about the future of reproductive healthcare access in Northeast Ohio following the recent closure of the Midtown Planned Parenthood clinic in Cleveland.
Posting to Instagram, Brown criticized policies from the current Trump administration and Republican-led Congress for dismantling critical funding streams.
Standing outside the Bedford Heights Planned Parenthood clinic—now one of just three remaining locations in the region—Brown explained that the Midtown clinic’s shutdown last month stemmed from two major policy changes under President Trump and his party allies:
- The elimination of Title X funding, which had supported services such as birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing.
- A provision in a Republican-backed bill that blocked Medicaid reimbursements for reproductive health services at Planned Parenthood clinics.
“This means if you’re on Medicaid and rely on Planned Parenthood for basic healthcare, you’re being told to go somewhere else—even if there isn’t anywhere else to go,” Brown cautioned in the video.
She warned that underserved communities—particularly Black, Brown, and economically disadvantaged women—face the most significant impact from these rollbacks. Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio has responded by announcing deep staffing cuts and warning of potential further clinic closures.
Brown concluded with a determined message: “I will continue fighting to protect your right to basic healthcare—no matter your income, zip code, or what extremists in Washington want to take away.”
