Planned Parenthood to continue abortions while shutting down primary care

Primary care facilities run by Planned Parenthood are shutting down in Orange and San Bernardino counties in California even as the organization continues to commit abortions.

Key Takeaways:

• Planned Parenthood is shutting down nine primary care clinics in Orange and San Bernardino counties in Southern California.

• Seven of the closing clinics are located within facilities that also commit abortions. The abortion 'services' will remain open.

• Planned Parenthood is blaming the Trump administration and the 'Big Beautiful' spending bill for the closures, but it has been shutting down facilities for years to focus more on a telehealth model.

The Backstory:

A provision within the federal 'Big Beautiful' spending bill sought to end federal Medicaid reimbursements for abortion businesses, including Planned Parenthood. Following the signing of the bill by President Trump on July 4, Planned Parenthood immediately filed a lawsuit to retain the funding.

After much legal wrangling, a judge eventually allowed the provision to go into effect as the lawsuit proceeds.

“We’re suing the Trump administration over this targeted attack on Planned Parenthood health centers and the patients who rely on them for care,” Planned Parenthood president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said at the time of the lawsuit's filing. “This case is about making sure that patients who use Medicaid as their insurance to get birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment can continue to do so at their local Planned Parenthood health center, and we will make that clear in court.”

The Details:

Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties announced on October 13 that nine of its Melody Health primary health clinics are closing down and it is laying off 81 staff members. It claimed the "additional cuts [are] a direct result of the Trump administration unjustly defunding Planned Parenthood."

“The only way to describe this moment is devastating,” said Krista Hollinger, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. “It’s devastating for the staff who will no longer be with us, the patients who will no longer receive our exceptional care, and the legacy of a brand that filled a critical care gap within our community.”

According to the OC Register, at least four of the layoffs are the result of cuts in federal funding to the California Personal Responsibility Education Program (CA PREP) program — cuts which a judge just halted.

Melody Health is located within seven Planned Parenthood facilities in Southern California, and primary care services will reportedly end in mid-December. One of the Mercy Health locations will continue to offer legitimate health care, but all abortion 'services' will continue.

Hollinger asked for donations to help keep its doors open.

Meanwhile, as previously reported by Live Action News, research shows that Planned Parenthood is a completely replaceable health care provider for Americans. A recent analysis from the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) showed:

"Thousands of alternative providers, including federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and doctor’s offices, provide comprehensive health care that Planned Parenthood doesn’t and are important options that can help fill any gaps."

It also revealed, "Some states that have defunded Planned Parenthood in the past serve as examples that the abortion business is replaceable. By redirecting Medicaid funding to the thousands of alternative women’s health providers, taxpayer funding will instead go to providers who offer real health care, not the nation’s largest abortion chain."

Previous research has shown that for every one Planned Parenthood, 15 community health centers that offer women's health care and don't commit abortions.

Tessa Cox, senior research associate at CLI and author of the paper, said:

“For years, Planned Parenthood received hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding despite abhorrent stories of poor care and its focus on abortion. Now, with tax dollars being redirected at the state and federal levels, abortion advocates insist that Planned Parenthood is irreplaceable. Women deserve to know they have health care options that extend beyond a group dedicated to ending unborn life.”

There are at least 9 federally qualified health centers in Orange County and 18 within a five mile radius of San Bernardino. The truth is: No one needs Planned Parenthood.

The Bottom Line:

When it comes down to it, Planned Parenthood protects abortion at all costs. It has proven that it wants to take its business model in the direction of telehealth, which cuts overhead costs.

So while it has already been shutting down clinics across the country as part of its business plan, it is taking opportunities such as the temporary one year loss of Medicaid funding to play the victim and beg for donations.

With the shuttering of legitimate health care services, more donations are likely to go towards maintaining abortion.