Former Dayton mayor and Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor Nan Whaley has been named the next CEO for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, the organization announced on May 30.
Whaley served as mayor of Dayton from 2014-2022, including during the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton’s Oregon District that left 10 people dead. After the shooting, Whaley joined more than 200 mayors in pushing Congress to act on gun control legislation. She received the Dayton Unit NAACP Community Service Award for her leadership following the mass shooting event.
Whaley went on to beat former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley for the Democratic nomination for Ohio Governor in 2022, making her the first woman to win a major party nomination to run for governor in the state. During her campaign, Whaley promised to fight for abortion access after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“It’s time for voters to fight back. If they’re going to take a right away from women by banning abortion, we’re going to take it directly to the people and say enough is enough,” Whaley said during a June 2022 campaign speech.
Whaley and her running mate Cheryl Stephens ultimately lost the race to incumbent Mike DeWine with only 37.2% of the vote, but her fight to protect abortion care access has entered a new phase as CEO for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region.
CityBeat caught up with Whaley to talk about her new job and how she plans to harness her years in office to serve Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio patients and practitioners.
CityBeat: Why this position? Why Planned Parenthood?
Nan Whaley: Look, I think, as you know, the landscape of reproductive healthcare is at a pressure point, and it's important to me to advance that mission, because I understand it's part of advancing our region as a whole. You know, this is a pivotal point for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio as we're coming off the big win in November, and we have a real opportunity and also a real responsibility to expand to meet the needs of abortion care. Not only for this region, but for this part of the country. And I know the quality of care at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio is second to none, and so making sure that we protect that and expand that is really important for us at this moment.
Nan Whaley: Look, I think, as you know, the landscape of reproductive healthcare is at a pressure point, and it's important to me to advance that mission, because I understand it's part of advancing our region as a whole. You know, this is a pivotal point for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio as we're coming off the big win in November, and we have a real opportunity and also a real responsibility to expand to meet the needs of abortion care. Not only for this region, but for this part of the country. And I know the quality of care at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio is second to none, and so making sure that we protect that and expand that is really important for us at this moment.
CB: Your political background speaks to your qualifications for this position, but are you going to learn more about the medical side of this operation in this role? Is there any training on the horizon?
Whaley: Yeah, I'm really excited about that new part, and I'm eager to listen and learn from the expertise of the clinicians and physicians championing this work that we have on staff, but also across the region. It's a complex issue and a complex challenge, but that's what I'm really excited to dive into, to really listen and learn on that part about our patient services, making sure that I really understand that work that we do every day for the great people that work for Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. Healthcare and access to healthcare is really, really important. As mayor of Dayton, it was something that we worked and fought to protect and expand, you know, from making sure people were signed up for Obamacare all the way to fighting to protect access in the region of reproductive rights. I'm really, really looking forward to that part of the job, and getting to work alongside amazing practitioners in this work.
Whaley: Yeah, I'm really excited about that new part, and I'm eager to listen and learn from the expertise of the clinicians and physicians championing this work that we have on staff, but also across the region. It's a complex issue and a complex challenge, but that's what I'm really excited to dive into, to really listen and learn on that part about our patient services, making sure that I really understand that work that we do every day for the great people that work for Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. Healthcare and access to healthcare is really, really important. As mayor of Dayton, it was something that we worked and fought to protect and expand, you know, from making sure people were signed up for Obamacare all the way to fighting to protect access in the region of reproductive rights. I'm really, really looking forward to that part of the job, and getting to work alongside amazing practitioners in this work.
CB: The 24-hour waiting period requirement for abortion care patients is being challenged in court by the ACLU. Why is removing that requirement so important for patient care?
Whaley: The 24-hour rule is unnecessary, and it's only in place for political reasons, right? So for access to care and ease of access, getting rid of the 24-hour rule will help our patients have the ease and access to get the care they need. Removing barriers for access to care is a top priority, but certainly as we're becoming a safe-haven state – and we see this in the Cincinnati clinic, particularly – the rule is holding up the ability for us to serve more patients. And finally, Madeline, the people of Ohio have spoken. We have the constitutional amendment. It is protected, and so we need the legislature to stop doing the bidding against the people's will in Ohio.
Whaley: The 24-hour rule is unnecessary, and it's only in place for political reasons, right? So for access to care and ease of access, getting rid of the 24-hour rule will help our patients have the ease and access to get the care they need. Removing barriers for access to care is a top priority, but certainly as we're becoming a safe-haven state – and we see this in the Cincinnati clinic, particularly – the rule is holding up the ability for us to serve more patients. And finally, Madeline, the people of Ohio have spoken. We have the constitutional amendment. It is protected, and so we need the legislature to stop doing the bidding against the people's will in Ohio.
CB: Other states are waging their own battles on abortion care, leaving a lot of neighboring states and Southern states depending on Ohio to access abortions. As you said, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio has become critical for those out-of-state patients. How in your position can you best serve those out-of-state folks?
Whaley: The 24-hour waiting period is a real challenge for people coming from long distances that, unfortunately, have to come in from long distances to access abortion care. I think we're in a really unique position because of our location in relation to the rest of the country; we have a responsibility to figure out how we can expand care. We want to provide the best quality of care for the people in our region, of course, but we have to also recognize that we're now serving people way outside our region, and that's an honor and a privilege to get to do that.
Whaley: The 24-hour waiting period is a real challenge for people coming from long distances that, unfortunately, have to come in from long distances to access abortion care. I think we're in a really unique position because of our location in relation to the rest of the country; we have a responsibility to figure out how we can expand care. We want to provide the best quality of care for the people in our region, of course, but we have to also recognize that we're now serving people way outside our region, and that's an honor and a privilege to get to do that.
CB: Planned Parenthood is known in the headlines for providing abortion care, but there's more that Planned Parenthood does for the community and for community health. Can you talk about that?
Whaley: We offer so much more, even expanding into this past year into vasectomy services, hormone therapy services, obviously any type of birth control and the protection and advocacy for that in our clinics. It's about access to reproductive health and to those folks getting to make their own decisions with a trusted practitioner. That's the bread and butter of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio.
Whaley: We offer so much more, even expanding into this past year into vasectomy services, hormone therapy services, obviously any type of birth control and the protection and advocacy for that in our clinics. It's about access to reproductive health and to those folks getting to make their own decisions with a trusted practitioner. That's the bread and butter of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio.
CB: Your connections and the relationships that you've formed during your time as mayor, how are you going to flex those relationships going forward for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio? It’s not just abortion, but things like birth control and hormone therapy that some legislators have said they want on the chopping block.
Whaley: I'm really excited that the board chose me for this role, because it is a bit different to have a former political leader as CEO, but because of my history in being such a heavy advocate for this access to care for reproductive health. Those relationships and people I know, people in [abortion care advocacy], people often know me as a staunch, staunch advocate for this work. I've done that from the very beginning, right out of college. So I'm excited to bring new relationships to Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio that might not be folks that have been in the healthcare field, but coming from the advocacy side. I think it's a great opportunity for us to really leverage, because we're going to need lots of help and lots of support to make sure that we're providing the best care we possibly can to this region and beyond.
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