Planned Parenthood to close clinics in Iowa and Minnesota amid funding freeze

In 2025, a Midwestern affiliate of Planned Parenthood announced plans to close eight clinics, including four in Iowa and four in Minnesota, within a year. This decision was influenced by multiple factors, notably a freeze in federal funding amounting to $2.8 million, budget cuts proposed at the federal level, and increasing state restrictions on abortion. The closures are particularly striking in Iowa as the Ames clinic is the only facility in the state providing abortion services, with additional closures occurring in Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Urbandale. In Minnesota, clinics in Apple Valley, Richfield, Alexandria, and Bemidji are set to shut down, with the Richfield clinic also providing abortion services. The affiliate, known as Planned Parenthood North Central States, is expected to lay off 66 employees and request 37 others to transfer to different locations. The organization, which serves five states—Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota—is also focusing on expanding telemedicine services, which currently serve around 20,000 patients annually. Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of the affiliate, emphasized the struggle of maintaining operations amid an unsustainable infrastructure characterized by multiple assaults against reproductive health funding and access. The announcement comes at a time of significant tension in reproductive rights in the U.S., particularly in states like Iowa where legislation has dramatically affected access to abortion. Legislation passed last year banned most abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy, leading to a 60% decline in the number of abortions performed in Iowa in the initial six months of enforcement, thereby increasing the demand for services in neighboring states like Minnesota and Nebraska. Following this wave of closures, Planned Parenthood North Central States will operate 10 clinics in Minnesota, two in Iowa, two in Nebraska, and one in South Dakota, while having no clinics in North Dakota. The organization's challenges are compounded by proposed cuts to Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low-income individuals, and an inability to use federal funds for the majority of its abortion services, despite ongoing financial dependencies. As the landscape of healthcare access continues to shift, the outcomes of these closures signal a troubling trend for reproductive health in the region and indicate that many individuals may soon face greater obstacles in accessing necessary health services.