Planned Parenthood is at risk of being defunded. We must act now to save it | Opinion

Today marks the third anniversary of the Dobbs decision, which stripped Americans of the constitutional right to abortion. Recently, when I sat down with the head of Planned Parenthood in California, I was shaken by what I heard: I’ve known for a while that some members of Congress have been trying to pull funding from Planned Parenthood, but I didn’t fully grasp how close they are to doing it — and what that would mean for reproductive health care in California.

If Congress moves forward with its plan to defund Planned Parenthood, almost a million Californians could have their access to providers put in jeopardy overnight. This basic health care — cancer screenings, birth control, sexually transmitted infections testing, wellness exams and, yes, abortion care — keeps families healthy. And in California, Planned Parenthood is a cornerstone of that care.

Every day, more than 80% of patients who walk into a Planned Parenthood health center here are covered by Medi-Cal programs, our version of Medicaid. And our state sees far more Planned Parenthood patients than any other — about one in three nationwide receive care here in California.

If Planned Parenthood is defunded, it means the federal government would stop paying them back for providing care through Medicaid. That means the 115 health centers up and down the state would immediately lose the funding they rely on to serve patients, from big cities like San Francisco to small towns like Visalia. That would leave a massive hole in our health care system, especially in rural areas where Planned Parenthood is often the only provider for miles. Other clinics and hospitals can’t absorb that many patients, and have said so themselves.

This would hurt people. It would mean missed diagnoses for cancer, more untreated STIs, more unplanned pregnancies and more people losing trusted providers they have relied on for years.

You might think this is just about abortion access, but it isn’t: federal law already says zero federal funds can be used for abortion care. This is about cutting off funding for everything Planned Parenthood does because some politicians don’t like some of the care they provide or what they stand for — women making their own health care decisions.

Here in California, we’ve worked hard to make sure that everyone, no matter their income or zip code, can access basic reproductive health care. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the legislature and the governor passed new laws and invested serious resources to make our state a safe haven. And voters even added the right to abortion to our state constitution.

But none of that means much if people can’t actually get an appointment when and where they need one.

I’m proud to live in a state that believes health care is a right, and Planned Parenthood is a big part of why that right exists for so many Californians. That’s why, as a leader of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, I’m sounding the alarm: I’m calling on the governor and my fellow lawmakers to act quickly. We need to make sure that if Congress cuts off funding, California steps in to protect patients by keeping Planned Parenthood health centers open.

We can’t let one day go by where patients are turned away from care. Californians deserve care they can count on. We’re not going to let Washington politicians decide what care Californians get.

This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Planned Parenthood is at risk of being defunded. We must act now to save it | Opinion."