How is Your Local Planned Parenthood Clinic Dealing with 'Defunding'?
9.25.25
Click to skip ahead: In Wisconsin Planned Parenthood Will Stop Providing Abortions, some awful fallout from the Trump budget bill. In the Nation, updates on the mifepristone ‘review’ from the Trump administration and the anti-abortion group pressuring Republicans to be even bigger assholes. Ballot Box has news from Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia. You Love to See It highlights a few of the pro-choice men we love. Finally, Clinic Watch keeps you updated on the latest with Planned Parenthood and other clinics impacted by Trump’s budget law.
Wisconsin Planned Parenthood Will Stop Providing Abortions
This is just awful: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has announced that starting October 1, it will stop providing abortions so it can continue providing all of its other health services to Medicaid patients.
First reported by Autonomy News, the move comes in response to a court ruling earlier this month that allows the Trump administration to enforce the “defund” portion of Republicans’ federal budget law—which bars organizations that provide abortion services from receiving Medicaid funds.
While some affiliates have been able to bridge the funding gap with state money, Wisconsin’s Planned Parenthood is the first Planned Parenthood organization to stop providing abortions in response to Trump’s law. President and CEO Tanya Atkinson offered this statement:
“Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is—and always will be—focused on putting our patients first. Our commitment is unwavering: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will continue to provide the full spectrum of reproductive health care—including abortion—as soon as we are able to. In the meantime, we are pursuing every available option—through the courts, through operations, and civic engagement.”
Atkinson stressed that the move is temporary, and that the organization is trying to see as many abortion patients as possible before the end of the month.
The Associated Press reports that Illinois providers are preparing for an influx of patients as a result of the decision. Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said, “We will not abandon people when they need us.” Both she and Dr. Allison Cowett, medical director for Family Planning Associates, told the AP that they will likely increase their staffing in order to keep up with the new patients they expect from Wisconsin.
And while Adrienne White-Faines, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, says that they’re ready and able to accept those patients, “The challenge is that this is not sustainable.”
Remember, Illinois is already serving a huge number of out-of-state patients: the Guttmacher Institute reported that nearly a quarter of patients who leave their states for abortion care are heading to Illinois.
A spokesperson from Planned Parenthood Federation of America said in a statement that “this is the chaos” Republicans wanted to see.
“At PPFA, we know that local leaders and providers are grappling with the uncertainty of delivering the care that patients deserve through a patchwork of ‘defunding’, state bans, and other barriers. We will continue to be here for them as they navigate what the path forward might look like.
At the same time, there are things we can say with certainty: Providing abortion in every state where it is legal to do so is central to Planned Parenthood’s mission. We are committed to ensuring that there is a Planned Parenthood provider proudly delivering the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion, in every state where it’s legal.”
To track ongoing attacks on Planned Parenthood, AED is launching a new section that you’ll find at the end of the newsletter: Clinic Watch will provide updates about Planned Parenthood and other reproductive care clinics across the country.
In the meantime, if you’re in Wisconsin and need abortion care, check out Abortion Finder—or one of the other clinic finders and abortion pill providers on Abortion, Every Day’s Resource page. For more on the Republican law that got us here, read AED’s explainer.
If you missed our email earlier today, make sure to read it now: Louisiana has issued an arrest warrant for another abortion provider—this time a doctor in California—marking the nation’s second criminal case against a shield state provider:
In the Nation
Yesterday, Abortion, Every Day reported that the FDA and HHS plan to conduct their own “study” into mifepristone’s safety—the Trump administration’s latest attack on the abortion medication. Since then, the story has been picked up across the country (and abroad!), from ABC News and CNN to Bloomberg, Scripps, CBS News, and more.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We don’t need AED to get credit—sometimes it’s even better that way. What matters is getting the story out there and making sure it’s framed correctly. And even though this happens pretty often these days, it still makes me proud every single time. In a moment when everything feels so difficult, it’s good to know we’re making an impact. If you missed our story, read it below:
A few new things to flag: CNN’s coverage highlights a letter to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary from the Society of Family Planning. The letter outlines the many flaws in the junk science study from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)—the one Makary and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. keep citing as supposed evidence of problems with mifepristone. Not that you need more proof of how ridiculous the EPPC report is, but if you want extra ammunition, the letter is worth a read.
I also agree with Carrie N. Baker, author of Abortion Pills: US History and Politics. She tells Scripps that while restricting mifepristone would be a disaster, “it would not stop abortion.”
“It would not stop the flow of abortion pills to people on the ground,” she said.
Politico reports that Republican leaders in Congress are struggling over how to handle Affordable Care Act negotiations—specifically because they can’t agree on how far to go in restricting abortion access.
The anti-abortion lobby, flush with cash and political influence, is pressuring Republicans to gut abortion coverage from private insurance plans (even in states where that coverage is legally required) and to further expand restrictions on federal abortion funding.
In response, over 70 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations this week sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to protect abortion access. Still, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America tells Politico the group is willing to play hardball—and that Republicans who don’t fall in line will face political consequences.
Quick hits:
Truthout explains why “The Anti-Migrant Crackdown Is Also a Reproductive Justice Crisis”;
And in the fifth installment of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Stop Censoring Abortion” campaign, the group looks at how Meta removes abortion rights advocates’ accounts without warning.
Ballot Box
Anti-abortion powerhouse Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is pouring $9 million into U.S. Senate races in Georgia and Michigan. I’m sure you can guess why: the group is trying to win seats for anti-abortion extremists willing to vote for a national ban—or who will pass enough restrictive laws to effectively create one.
SBA is also desperate to shut down any pro-choice stalwarts, like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff—who the group plans to spend $4.5 million to defeat. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out, Sen. Ossoff has been a longtime critic of Georgia’s abortion ban, has convened hearings on the law, and released a report about the critical harm patients faced as a result of the law. (I remember when AED covered this report: one of the stories it detailed was a woman forced to have an unnecessary hysterectomy after her water broke too early for her twin fetuses to survive.)
Let’s not forget that Georgia’s ban has killed multiple women; and that when ProPublica reported on two of those deaths, the Republican leadership in the state responded by firing every single person on the state’s maternal mortality committee.
Reproductive Freedom for All president Mini Timmaraju rightly points out that “anti-abortion extremists know they don’t have the will of the people on their side, so they are trying to buy critical Senate seats.”
After all, conservatives know abortion bans are unpopular. That’s why GOP candidates since Dobbs have been jumping through hoops to avoid talking about bans—either declining to answer basic questions or giving almost comically wishy-washy answers.
Take Tom Tiffany, the GOP gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin: he refused to say whether he still backs a six-week ban in the state, a position he’s held previously.
It’s all so exhaustingly cynical—it’s one thing to take away our rights and push pregnant women to the brink of death. To not even accept responsibility is nauseating. And with the 2026 elections on the horizon, expect much, much more of this nonsense.
Speaking of cynicism: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is still obsessively drumming up outrage over dubious allegations that, years ago, a high school counselor may have helped two 17-year-olds access abortion. This week, he said the story “shocks the conscience,” even as there are seemingly zero confirmed details about it.
As we’ve reported before, conservatives hope that the manufactured controversy will help Virginia Republicans secure the governor’s office and state legislature come November—and that it will give them the messaging they need to push back against a pro-choice ballot measure.
GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears—who has previously argued that women who consent to sex are consenting to pregnancy—called the story “a gift that keeps on giving.”
And that’s the level of decency at which Republicans are playing this election season.
You Love to See It
We just wanted to give a little love and appreciate to a couple of pro-choice men today: When Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air this week, he gave a shout out to abortion rights:
“We do agree on a lot of things. We agree on keeping our children safe from guns, on reproductive rights for women, Social Security, affordable health care, pediatric cancer research. These are all things that most Americans support. Let’s stop letting these politicians tell us what they want and tell them what we want.”
And I know we all love Pedro Pascal, who reminded us via Instagram why he’ll forever be one of our favorites:
Clinic Watch
The Trump administration has passed a law preventing certain reproductive healthcare clinics—like Planned Parenthood—from getting Medicaid reimbursements. At the bottom of every newsletter, we’ll track how different states and clinics are responding. To find out more about the law and ruling that’s making this happen, click here. To update Abortion, Every Day on the latest in your state, email tips@abortioneveryday.com.
Wisconsin Planned Parenthood has stopped providing abortions. 🔴
Maine is allocating $6 million to Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning in an attempt to bridge the funding gap. 🟡
Colorado passed a bill to cover patient visits with state funds. 🟢
Oregon Democrats are creating a working group to explore how to replace lost funding. 🟠
Planned Parenthood in Kentucky is standing firm and says they’re looking for funding to tide them over. 🟠
And in Washington, the state will cover Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood. 🟢
I need to not read this at night. Like, I'm definitely not clicking into the Substack notification at night any more. That's how ya know ya care. It's not a scoreboard announcement for the current teams in the "culture wars"; it's dudes doing their literal damnedest to turn back time.
It's freaky that so many people who work on rewinding women's rights are GOPers who do not remember the world they are working so diligently to re-inflict upon as many American women as possible. Adults who long for the good ole days in 2025 long for the 90s. Not for 1951.
It's ridiculous in the extreme to suggest that "the people" wanted Dobbs or any of the massive amounts of legislative action that has flowed from the judiciary. It is the essence of waste, fraud & abuse. And they know it. They're that gross. Just ask Elon. Or JD or whichever man you can trot out who has the audacity to admit that they didn't like growing up with women and girls who had so many rights. They're "western civilization's" men now. Make every one of these weak & cowardly mfers ADMIT that they are trying to bring about an American reality that protects THEM from the women & girls around them (irl) having too many rights.
Our PPH clinic closed a few months ago, in Bemidji MN. However gratefully, there is another clinic in our town.