Planned Parenthood to Shut 8 Clinics in Iowa and Minnesota

    0
    1

    In a major restructuring move, four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa will cease operations within a year alongside four others in Minnesota, as announced by the Midwest affiliate responsible for these clinics. The organization attributes these closures to frozen federal funding, Congressional budget cuts, and state-level abortion restrictions.

    Among the Iowa closures is the sole clinic in the state performing surgical abortions, located in Ames, home to Iowa State University. Moving forward, the organization plans to continue offering medication abortions in both Des Moines and Iowa City, along with other medical abortion services at the Iowa City location.

    In Minnesota, two clinics in the Minneapolis vicinity, Apple Valley and Richfield, are slated for closure, with the Richfield clinic being one that provides abortion procedures. The other shutdowns will happen in Alexandria and Bemidji, both in central Minnesota.

    As part of this restructuring, Planned Parenthood North Central States will have to let go of 66 employees while asking 37 others to relocate to different clinics. The organization remains committed to expanding its telemedicine offerings, already catering to 20,000 virtual patients annually. Covering five states—Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota—this affiliate continues to navigate a challenging political and economic climate.

    Ruth Richardson, the affiliate’s president and CEO, remarked on the efforts to maintain operations amid rapidly shifting conditions, emphasizing the relentless attack on reproductive health access.

    Across the affiliate’s remaining 15 clinics, six will offer abortion procedures, with five based in Minnesota, including three within the Minneapolis area. The remaining location in Omaha, Nebraska, will still deliver these services.

    In April, the federal administration under President Donald Trump halted $2.8 million in funds which were previously allocated for Minnesota to facilitate birth control, cervical cancer screenings, and STD testing. Although federal monies cannot support most abortion services, critics argue that any public funding of Planned Parenthood indirectly benefits abortion services.

    The group also highlights concerns over potential Medicaid cuts which provide vital health coverage to low-income individuals, as well as proposed eliminations of funding for teenage pregnancy prevention initiatives.

    Additionally, Iowa’s Republican-led legislative framework introduced last year restricts abortions post-six weeks of pregnancy—before many women realize their pregnancy—driving a 60% decrease in procedures within six months while increasing patient flow to Minnesota and Nebraska.

    Post-closures, Planned Parenthood North Central States will manage 10 clinics in Minnesota, two in Iowa, a pair in Nebraska, and one in South Dakota. Notably, no clinics operate in North Dakota, although their Moorhead, Minnesota location is close to Fargo, North Dakota.