Planned Parenthood’s two clinics in Louisiana closed on Tuesday over challenges that the organization said made it unfeasible to operate there.
The clinics were in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The president of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast said the closures were forced by “compounding political attacks that have dismantled public health infrastructure, (and) blocked patients from care.”
The closures follow a court ruling last month that affected the clinics’ ability to accept Medicaid reimbursements for providing patient care, by clearing the way for a provision of President Trump’s tax and spending bill to be implemented.
“A federal court has allowed the Trump administration’s ‘defunding’ of Planned Parenthood to take effect, blocking patients with Medicaid from accessing care in our health centers,” the organization said in mid-September.
Planned Parenthood said Texas has barred the organization from the state’s Medicaid program since 2021, but that the latest ruling means Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast can no longer accept Medicaid in its Louisiana health centers.
Planned Parenthood has warned of other possible closures nationwide amid Medicaid funding cuts in Mr. Trump’s spending and tax bill, which instructs the government to halt Medicaid payments for a year to certain abortion providers.
But while many Planned Parenthood clinics provide abortion services, the clinics in Louisiana that closed had not offered abortion services at any time in their 40-year history, according to the New Orleans Health Department. Planned Parenthood has never had a license to perform abortions in Louisiana, The Associated Press reported.
Last year, the clinic in New Orleans served about 16,000 patients for sexually transmitted infection care and testing, and almost 9,000 patients for family planning care, including birth control and pregnancy tests, according to Planned Parenthood data provided by the New Orleans Health Department.
“We know that Planned Parenthood New Orleans on Claiborne Avenue served tens of thousands of patients a year with sexual and reproductive health services, and that clinic was important, because it was open access for people who were uninsured or underinsured people who didn’t feel comfortable going elsewhere,” said Jeannie Donovan, deputy director of population health and disease prevention at the New Orleans Health Department. “It served a real need in our community.”
Donovan said her department has been working hard to fill the gap for people who relied on the New Orleans clinic for health care needs, creating new maps and databases for patients to find new primary care options.
Gerald Herbert/AP
The clinics in New Orleans and Baton Rouge provided nearly 30,000 tests for sexually transmitted infections, as well 1,800 cancer screenings and 655 ultrasounds. They saw 14,400 visits for birth control, the AP reported.
“While this chapter closes, community leaders and stakeholders continue to explore possible pathways to carry forward the mission of advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in Louisiana,” said Melaney Linton, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, in a statement to CBS News. “Though that future will not be possible through PPGC, the need remains urgent, and this fight is not over.”
Some, however, cheered the closures. Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said on social media Tuesday, “This is a win for babies, a win for mothers, and a win for LIFE!”
“Planned Parenthood built its business around promoting death,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill. “Louisiana proudly stands for life. We will always protect women and babies here in our State.”
Planned Parenthood said in July that 200 clinics — of about 600 — across the U.S. are also at risk of closing as a result of federal policy changes and funding cuts, although the organization is trying to have its funding restored through the courts.
Last week, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced it would stop scheduling abortions, and the Arizona affiliate announced it would stop providing care to people covered by Medicaid. Those changes come after five clinics in California, as well as eight in Iowa and Minnesota, closed their doors earlier this year.
Planned Parenthood is now absent in four states — Louisiana, Wyoming, Mississippi and North Dakota.
Posters with encouraging words for the New Orleans clinic’s staff were taped to the clinic’s back gate on Tuesday, including one saying “heroes work here,” and another saying, “we appreciate all you have done.”
Donovan, with the New Orleans Health Department, believes more challenges are ahead for other public health clinics in Louisiana.
“The implementation of HR-1, or the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ is presenting similar challenges of limiting access to health, potentially hurting the finances of medical providers as fewer people have Medicaid in the city, which is projected,” Donovan said.
contributed to this report.
