A Planned Parenthood affiliate plans to close 4 clinics in Minnesota, another 4 in Iowa

Four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa and four in Minnesota will shut down in a year the Midwestern affiliate operating them stated Friday blaming a freeze in federal funds budget cuts proposed in Congress and state restrictions on abortion The clinics closing in Iowa include the only Planned Parenthood facility in the state that provides abortion procedures in Ames home to Iowa State University The others are in Cedar Rapids Sioux City and the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale Two of the clinics being shut down by Planned Parenthood North Central States are in the Minneapolis area in Apple Valley and Richfield The others are in central Minnesota in Alexandria and Bemidji Of the four the Richfield clinic provides abortion procedures The Planned Parenthood affiliate explained it would lay off employees and ask additional employees to move to different clinics The organization also reported it plans to keep investing in telemedicine services and sees patients a year virtually The affiliate serves five states Iowa Minnesota Nebraska North Dakota and South Dakota We have been fighting to hold together an unsustainable infrastructure as the landscape shifts around us and an onslaught of attacks continues Ruth Richardson the affiliate s president and CEO explained in a message Of the remaining clinics operated by Planned Parenthood North Central States six will provide abortion procedures five of them in Minnesota including three in the Minneapolis area The other clinic is in Omaha Nebraska The affiliate disclosed that in April President Donald Trump s administration froze million in federal funds for Minnesota to provide birth control and other services such as cervical cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases While federal funds can t be used for most of abortions abortion opponents have long argued that Planned Parenthood affiliates should not receive any taxpayer dollars saying the money still indirectly underwrites abortion services Planned Parenthood North Central States also cited proposed cuts in Medicaid which provides soundness coverage for low-income Americans as well as a Trump administration proposal to eliminate funding for teenage pregnancy prevention programs Related Articles Publix recalls baby food pouches after testing finds elevated levels of lead Weight-loss drugs may lower cancer danger in people with diabetes a scrutiny suggests RFK Jr s MAHA analysis raises concerns about vaccines American foods and prescription drugs FDA panel is split on updates to COVID shots as questions loom for fall vaccinations Measles is very contagious Here s how to avoid it In addition Republican-led Iowa last year banned the bulk abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy before plenty of women know they are pregnant causing the number performed there to drop in the first six months the law was in effect and dramatically increasing the number of patients traveling to Minnesota and Nebraska After the closings Planned Parenthood North Central States will operate brick-and-mortar clinics in Minnesota two in Iowa two in Nebraska and one in South Dakota It operates none in North Dakota though its Moorhead Minnesota clinic is across the Red River from Fargo North Dakota