Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast Closes Doors Amid GOP Attacks 

As Planned Parenthood continues its fight to provide services to Medicaid recipients nationally, its Gulf Coast affiliate will cease operations this fall. News reports indicate the Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, serving patients in Louisiana and parts of Houston, will cease operations on Sept. 30. 

According to Houston Public Media, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast will close its clinics in Louisiana and two clinics in the Houston area as part of an organizational restructuring. Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas will take over operations of four other clinics in Houston beginning Oct. 1. 

Anti-abortion leaders have celebrated the news on social media, including Louisiana’s Gov. Jeff Landry. Disregarding the dire straits facing reproductive healthcare in his state and the near-total abortion ban, Landry said that “abortion should never be considered healthcare.” His comments reaffirm statements from the organization’s leadership that these attacks are political and have nothing to do with actual care provided. 

Anti-abortion proponents celebrating the closure of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast and other facilities often disregard the impact on individuals who need care and local health systems, and the need for judgment-free care. According to the organization’s FY24 Impact Report, over 38% of those receiving care were Black. Over 50% of patients were between the ages of 20 and 29. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast provided over $4 million in financial assistance to under-and uninsured patients. Planned Parenthood has served Louisiana residents for over 40 years. 

While the impact of the closures remains to be seen, previously reported delays in routine prenatal care could worsen.  A report issued last year highlighted a dangerous disruption in standard pregnancy care in post-abortion ban Louisiana. Data from the March of Dimes report “Where You Live Matters: Maternity Care Access in Louisiana” found that “16.2% of birthing people received inadequate prenatal care.” Over a quarter of parishes in Louisiana were defined as maternity care deserts.  

Receiving judgment-free medical treatment that is also reassuring and competent should be something available to everyone regardless of insurance status, race, age, or gender identity. The services provided by Planned Parenthood clinics across the country often fill the gap for those in need of gynecological care and other basic routine health needs. 

In a letter in the FY24 Impact Report, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast President and CEO Melaney Lipton framed the organization’s work in the context of supporting freedom, echoing the sentiments of the broader movement for reproductive health and justice nationally: 

The opposition’s tactics may change but it’s the same old story Anti-abortion politicians and their allies oppose us because we’re offering something that threatens their power and control: freedom. 

The freedom to manage your sexual and reproductive health, to plan a future, and to pursue your dreams on your own terms. The freedom to live freely and authentically as your true self. And the freedom to control your own body and decide for yourself, if, when, and how to become a parent. 

SEE ALSO: 

Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Defunding Planned Parenthood

SCOTUS Medicaid Decision Could Defund Planned Parenthood  

Black Maternal Mortality Is An Inconvenient Truth For White Senator

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