Planned Parenthood of Michigan to close three clinics after funding cuts

Planned Parenthood of Michigan announced on Thursday that, effective immediately, it would be permanently closing three locations in Lansing, Livonia and Warren in the face of funding changes and financial constraints after Republican federal legislation changed the eligibility of Medicaid coverage at Planned Parenthood. 

A press release from the organization said that it had faced a $4.2 million decline in patient care reimbursement and federal family planning funding from the prior fiscal year. 

“We have to reshape how we deliver care so Planned Parenthood of Michigan can continue serving patients for generations to come,” Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said. “That means concentrating our resources at regional access points and procedural sites and continuing to expand virtual care across Michigan. These are painful decisions, but they are strategic decisions grounded in where we can preserve access for the greatest number of patients.”  

She added that the future of patient care cannot rely on federal funding that can be taken away based on the desires of the politicians in power at any given time. 

“Maintaining continuity of care for our patients is our highest priority,” said Dr. Kate Starr, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of Michigan. “We are working directly with patients to make sure their treatment plans, prescriptions, and ongoing care continue. Whether patients see us in person at one of our health centers or through virtual care, our commitment to person-centered, evidence-based medicine remains absolute.”  

These closures were not unforeseen — in May, the organization said that they would be forced to close clinics if they did not receive additional one-time state funding. 

Though the ban on Medicaid coverage for non-abortion coverage at Planned Parenthood expired at the start of July, the group said in May that the federally-funded Title X program that had previously covered around a quarter of the group’s funding had already been used up for the fiscal year, which does not end until October.

Planned Parenthood of Michigan sent an open letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requesting $5 million in state funding, writing, “Put simply: there is no one else who can act to save our health centers. It is down to you.” 

In response, however, Whitmer deferred to the state Legislature, with a spokesperson from her office saying at the time, “Under the Michigan Constitution, the legislature has the responsibility to allocate state funds. We would encourage any organization or individual to work with the legislature on their budget asks.”

Thornton Greear criticized Whitmer’s inaction, saying that “Michigan patients are not a football to be tossed around from branch to branch of the government.”

Whitmer released a statement Thursday criticizing the closures as a result of “DC Republicans’ historic attacks on reproductive freedom, health care access, and Medicaid.”

“We’ve been clear about this since the passage of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ last year: these devastating cuts would force key health care providers like Planned Parenthood to close doors and shutter services, cutting Michiganders off from the critical health care they need,” Whitmer continued. “Planned Parenthood provides critical care, like cancer screenings, routine checkups, menopause treatment, and more, which are all at risk due to the DC Republicans’ cuts.”

Whitmer’s statement did not address Planned Parenthood’s earlier request for $5 million in state funding, and a spokesperson from her office did not respond to a request by Michigan Advance for comment on the impacts of her decision in May. 

At least one Democratic state legislator did criticize Whitmer for it on social media, however, including Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), whose district includes the now-shuttered Livonia Planned Parenthood clinic.

*DC Republicans and MI’s Democratic governor who ignored Planned Parenthood’s pleas for help and legislators’ plans for how you could help fund them while trying to use them as leverage to appease Donald Trump.

Fixed that for you. Fight like hell though, right? https://t.co/3QcUjuWkPr

— Laurie Pohutsky (@lpohutsky19) July 30, 2026

Whitmer was not the only official to criticize the decision and to similarly blame Republican legislators for the funding crisis. 

“These closures make it harder for women to access routine and lifesaving reproductive care, and it is the direct consequence of every single Michigan Republican in Congress voting to pass Trump’s budget law that has ripped away healthcare and gutted Medicaid,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said in a statement. “These closures lie directly at the feet of D.C. Republicans who have stood by Trump and his disastrous agenda.

Meanwhile, anti-abortion organizations celebrated the closures, with Right to Life of Michigan President Amber Roseboom saying that the closures are due to “mismanagement of their own national organization, not the government.”

“This is good news for Michiganders who care about quality care and accountability,” she said in a press release.