A protester stands outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on July 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
Planned Parenthood North Central States announced it will close eight clinics—four in Iowa and four in Minnesota—over the next year. The move comes as a result of frozen federal funds, budget cuts proposed by Congress, and new state laws limiting abortion access.
In Iowa, the closures include the only Planned Parenthood clinic that performs abortion procedures, located in Ames, near Iowa State University. However, the group said medication abortions will still be available at clinics in Des Moines and Iowa City.
In Minnesota, two clinics in the Minneapolis suburbs—Apple Valley and Richfield—will close, along with two others in central Minnesota, Alexandria and Bemidji. Of these, the Richfield clinic currently provides abortion services.
The affiliate shared that these closures will lead to 66 layoffs. It will also ask 37 workers to relocate to other clinics. Despite the closures, Planned Parenthood plans to expand telemedicine, which now serves around 20,000 patients yearly across five states: Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Ruth Richardson, the affiliate’s president and CEO, said the organization has struggled to keep clinics open amid ongoing attacks and shifting political pressures.
After the closures, Planned Parenthood North Central States will still run 15 clinics across the region, with six providing abortion services—five in Minnesota (three in the Minneapolis area) and one in Omaha, Nebraska.
Federal funding challenges have been a key factor. In April, the Trump administration froze $2.8 million intended for Minnesota clinics, money usually used for birth control, cancer screenings, and STD tests. While federal money cannot fund most abortions directly, critics argue that taxpayer dollars indirectly support abortion services.
Planned Parenthood also pointed to proposed cuts to Medicaid and plans to remove funding for programs that prevent teenage pregnancies.
Adding to the strain, Iowa enacted a law last year banning most abortions after six weeks, a time when many women may not yet know they are pregnant. This law caused a 60% drop in abortions performed in Iowa during the first six months. It also increased the number of patients travelling to clinics in Minnesota and Nebraska.
After these changes, Planned Parenthood North Central States will operate 10 clinics in Minnesota, two in Iowa, two in Nebraska, and one in South Dakota. It does not have any clinics in North Dakota, but the Moorhead, Minnesota, clinic is near the North Dakota border.
