Planned Parenthood of Michigan has sent an open letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer demanding $5 million in emergency state funding. The organization warned that more health centers in Michigan will close without immediate action.
The request came as federal policy changes have cut off Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood services. The group said it can no longer bridge the gap on its own.
"We are now facing a critical funding gap that we can not bridge alone," the letter to Whitmer said.
A Funding Crisis Built Over Months
Planned Parenthood of Michigan President and CEO Paula Thornton Greear wrote that the organization has raised concerns about its financial trajectory for months. Federal changes to Title X funding and the loss of Medicaid reimbursements have left the provider in what she called a precarious position.
"We have raised concerns about this trajectory for months," Thornton Greear wrote to Whitmer. "We need you to take immediate action to keep our doors open because the window to preserve access to reproductive health care in Michigan, including abortion, is rapidly closing."
The organization operates 10 brick-and-mortar health centers across Michigan. Four of those centers offer onsite abortion procedures. Planned Parenthood also runs an online service that assists patients with medication abortions.
Last year, the provider already closed health centers in Jackson, Petoskey, and Marquette. It also consolidated two facilities in Ann Arbor.
Whitmer Points to the Legislature
Whitmer has been a longtime ally of Planned Parenthood. Her administration did not deny the organization's financial concerns. But it pushed back on the idea that the governor can unilaterally provide the money.
"Governor Whitmer is one of the country's greatest champions for reproductive freedom," Whitmer Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche said. "Under the Michigan Constitution, the legislature has the responsibility to allocate state funds."
The governor's office encouraged Planned Parenthood to work directly with lawmakers on budget requests.
A Legislative Deadlock
Planned Parenthood's letter acknowledged that a legislative solution is unlikely. The organization noted that the Republican-controlled state House is not expected to act.
Thornton Greear pointed to governors in Maine and Illinois who used executive authority to provide emergency funding to Planned Parenthood in their states. She argued Whitmer should do the same in Michigan.
"This is fundamentally about whether Michigan preserves access to care infrastructure that voters already said that they wanted or whether we see that care slip away," Thornton Greear told Michigan Public Radio.
She referenced the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment, which Michigan voters adopted in 2022.
What Happens Next
State Senate Democrats issued a statement supporting Planned Parenthood. They did not announce any specific legislative action to secure the funding.
"We believe every person should have access to affordable, quality healthcare," Senate Democrats said in a statement. "We also believe that every woman has the right to decide if, when, and how to grow a family."
The Majority Republicans in the state House did not comment on the issue.
Planned Parenthood said patients who need in-person exams, cancer screenings, or procedures that cannot happen virtually depend on whether a health center remains open. The organization stated there is no other provider with the capacity to absorb the patients it would have to turn away.
"Those decisions are closer than anyone should be comfortable with," the letter said.
For now, it appears unlikely that any branch of state government will act quickly.