On September 30, 2025, the last two Planned Parenthood clinics in Louisiana—located in Baton Rouge and New Orleans—shut their doors for good, marking the end of an era for reproductive and preventive healthcare in the state. The closures, which will affect over 10,000 patients annually, have sent shockwaves through communities and sparked heated debate across the nation. According to KFF Health News, the clinics had provided a wide range of services, including cancer screenings, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, STI and STD testing, birth control, hormone therapy, and treatment for urinary tract infections. Notably, they had never offered abortion services, a fact often lost amid the political firestorm surrounding their operations.
Brianna Spruel, a Baton Rouge resident, arrived at the clinic on Government Street for a routine check-up only to discover it was Planned Parenthood's final day in Louisiana. "I'm kind of in shock," Spruel told The Advocate. She noted that the clinic had offered basic testing more quickly and conveniently than other healthcare providers in the area. Now, she faces longer travel times and extended waits at other facilities, such as Woman’s Hospital, which can be up to an hour's drive during peak traffic. "Some Medicaid doctors take way longer than insurance doctors, so some ladies that may need urgent care may have to go to the hospital," she explained.
The closures come on the heels of a federal appeals court decision that allowed the "defunding provision" of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"—a Trump administration initiative targeting Planned Parenthood—to take effect. This provision bars clinics that provide, or are associated with, abortion services from receiving Medicaid funding for any healthcare services, even though the Louisiana clinics offered no abortions. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast President and CEO Melaney Linton lamented, "This is not a decision we wanted to make; it is one we were forced into by political warfare. Anti-reproductive health lawmakers obsessed with power and control have spent decades fighting the concept that people deserve to control their own bodies. … Every health center closure, every patient who goes without care, every undetected cancer and untreated infection is on those lawmakers’ hands."
Louisiana officials, however, celebrated the shutdown as a victory for the pro-life movement. Governor Jeff Landry declared on X, "This is a major win for the pro-life movement here in Louisiana. I have fought hard as Attorney General and now as Governor to rid our state of this failed organization." Attorney General Liz Murrill echoed the sentiment, writing, "Planned Parenthood built its business around promoting death. Louisiana chooses life. We will always protect women and babies." Both statements reflect a broader national trend since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to implement sweeping abortion bans.
The loss of Planned Parenthood in Louisiana is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Across the United States, anti-abortion legislation and funding cuts have accelerated. In August 2025, the Trump administration announced the removal of gender-affirming care from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, a move set to affect over 8 million federal workers beginning in 2026. That same month, the administration issued a rule barring U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals from providing abortions, even in cases of rape or incest—despite statistics showing more than one in three women have experienced sexual assault while serving, as reported by Ms. Magazine.
In Texas, at least 835 new laws took effect on September 1, 2025, impacting healthcare, free speech, education, and LGBTQ+ rights. Among the most controversial are SB 2880, which makes it a felony to fund an abortion and targets telehealth providers, and SB 12, which bans LGBTQ+ and DEI clubs from K-12 public schools. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is challenging the latter law in court, citing First Amendment violations. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 7 on September 17, 2025—a "bounty" law incentivizing private citizens to sue anyone who distributes abortion pills to Texas residents. Under this law, family members could receive at least $100,000 for reporting such activity, creating what Nimra Chowdhry of the Center for Reproductive Rights called "a culture of surveillance among community members and families."
Mississippi, too, has faced dire consequences from these policy shifts, declaring a public health emergency as its infant mortality rate soared to nearly double the national average—about 10 deaths per 1,000 live births. The state’s struggles highlight the broader implications of restricting access to reproductive healthcare, particularly for marginalized communities.
Nationally, the Trump administration in August 2025 threatened to cut $81 million in federal grants for sex education to states, territories, and Washington, D.C., if they did not remove references to "gender ideology"—information about transgender people—from their curricula. According to an HHS news release, "This action reflects the Trump Administration’s ongoing commitment to protecting children from attempts to indoctrinate them with delusional ideology." California was the first to lose funding after refusing to comply, and now 46 states and territories are "on notice."
Meanwhile, the fight for transparency and justice continues on other fronts. On September 3, 2025, more than 20 survivors of convicted sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell gathered at the U.S. Capitol to demand the release of the so-called "Epstein files." Survivor Courtney Wild, who was abused at age 14, told reporters, "This is not about politics. This is about transparency and justice. The government violated our rights to protect Epstein. We deserve the truth." The Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna, would require the government to release all documents related to Epstein’s activities and associates.
Tragedy and political violence have also made headlines. On September 10, 2025, right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a Utah rally for Turning Point USA. His funeral, attended by prominent figures including Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth, J.D. Vance, and former President Trump, underscored the deep divisions in American society. In a White House statement, Trump said, "violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonizing those who you disagree … in the most hateful and despicable way possible." Former President Barack Obama called Kirk’s assassination "an inflection point" for the country, emphasizing the need for civil discourse over violence. Ironically, Kirk had previously said, "It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment." The same day, a school shooting in Colorado left two students injured and the shooter dead by suicide.
Back in Louisiana, the fallout from Planned Parenthood’s closure is immediate and deeply felt. Pro-life advocates gathered outside the Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge, collecting diaper donations and displaying signs reading "Love them both" and "abortion kills babies." Tara Wicker, state co-director for Louisiana Black Advocates for Life, said, "We want to make sure that the message is that there’s love and support and a village surrounding both moms and the babies." She noted that more pregnant women are reaching out for help since the elimination of the federal right to abortion and the closing of Planned Parenthood clinics.
For women like Brianna Spruel, the loss of Planned Parenthood means more than a political talking point—it’s a stark reality. "It’ll be another reason for women to have to travel to get fast care," she said, urging her peers to be proactive about their health. As the nation grapples with the consequences of these sweeping changes, the debate over reproductive rights, healthcare access, and personal autonomy shows no sign of abating.
