Planned Parenthood of Michigan announced Thursday that it is closing three more women’s health centers, this time in Lansing, Livonia and Warren. Last year, locations in Jackson, Petoskey and Marquette were forced to close and two operations in Ann Arbor were merged.
Planned Parenthood CEO Paula Thornton Greear said the organization’s finances have become a political target as federal cuts to family planning funds and Medicaid reimbursements are forcing tough decisions.
“The federal funding infrastructure that supported reproductive healthcare in this country for decades has fundamentally changed. It’s more than shifted. Shifted is not a strong enough word,” she said. “It is being just eradicated.”
Greear said Planned Parenthood locations in Detroit and Ferndale are within 20 miles of the closing Livonia and Warren facilities and many services provided at the Lansing health center are offered online. None of the locations closed this year in Michigan offered procedural abortions.
In May, Planned Parenthood asked Governor Gretchen Whitmer for a $5 million emergency appropriation to avert cutbacks. Whitmer is an avid supporter of reproductive rights but said she does not have unilateral power to provide funds without legislative approval.
Whitmer laid blame for the closures on the GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Planned Parenthood provides critical care, like cancer screenings, routine checkups, menopause treatment, and more, which are all at risk due to the D.C. Republicans’ cuts,” she said. “Republicans in Washington should be ashamed of themselves for putting women’s lives at risk.”
Right to Life of Michigan called the announcement “political theater” designed to influence the upcoming elections and turn out voters who support abortion rights. In 2022, Michigan voters enshrined reproductive rights in the state constitution by a wide margin.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on X (Twitter)
Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
