Planned Parenthood to Close 8 Clinics in Iowa, Minnesota Amid Funding Freeze

Planned Parenthood North Central States announced it will close four of its six clinics in Iowa and four in Minnesota within the next year, citing a freeze in federal Title X funds, proposed budget cuts, and restrictive abortion laws as primary reasons. The closures include Iowa's only Planned Parenthood clinic that provides abortion procedures, located in Ames, while other clinics in Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Urbandale will also shut down. In Minnesota, the Richfield clinic offering abortion procedures will close along with others in Apple Valley, Alexandria, and Bemidji. The organization will lay off 66 staff members and reassign 37 others, but plans to continue offering telemedicine services to approximately 20,000 patients per year. Since Iowa's six-week abortion ban went into effect, in-state abortions dropped significantly while out-of-state travel for abortion care increased dramatically, underscoring the impact of legal restrictions on access. Despite these challenges, Planned Parenthood intends to maintain 15 regional health centers across five states, with six clinics continuing to offer abortion procedures, mostly in Minnesota and Nebraska.