Planned Parenthood sites in Minnesota among those affected by Title X funding cutoff

ROCHESTER — This week, the Trump administration began withholding federal dollars for health services at Planned Parenthood sites across the country, including in Minnesota. “This decision is really heartbreaking for a number of reasons,” said Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, which encompasses Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas. Several affiliates for Planned Parenthood — the nonprofit reproductive health and abortion care provider that operates almost 600 clinics nationwide — received notices Monday, March 31, of a temporary withholding of their Title X funding, Politico reports .

The reason? “Alleged violations of executive orders related to diversity, equity and inclusion and immigration,” Richardson said. Title X is a federal program that provides funding for non-abortion family planning services, including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, birth control, and screening for breast and cervical cancers. Minnesota Planned Parenthoods’ share of Title X funding amounts to $2.



8 million, Richardson said, roughly 3% to 4% of its overall budget. “In 2024, Title X helped over 38,000 Minnesota patients get that access to care,” she said. Richardson said Planned Parenthood’s Rochester Health Center uses sliding scale fees, adjusting the cost of a patient’s services based on their income.

Those earning less pay less for their care. “Of our patients that visit our Rochester Health Center in need of Title X services, over 40% of those are at or below the federal poverty line,” she said. Right now, the Rochester clinic is continuing to honor its sliding scale fee for services.

“Should that situation change, we would proactively work with our patients to notify them if they were going to be impacted in the future,” Richardson said. “We just want to provide that reassurance to patients that we are still here to provide care for them.” In a statement, U.

S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minnesota, said that by withholding Title X funding, “the Trump Administration is making it nearly impossible for women to access basic health care.

” “Cancers will go undetected, infections will be left untreated for longer, and many women will lose birth control,” said Smith, who formerly was the vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. “This is Republicans’ attempt to squeeze Planned Parenthood’s budget so tightly it can’t function any longer. Trump and Musk think they know better than American women, and that they deserve to make health care decisions for people whose stories they will never know.

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