The claim: Planned Parenthood clinics are shutting down all over the country
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, several social media users falsely claimed Planned Parenthood shut down clinics across the country.
“Why are Planned Parenthood clinics closing down all over the country?” reads a now-deleted June 24 tweet that garnered more than 10,000 retweets and 50,000 likes within one week.
A June 24 Facebook post with a screenshot of the tweet accumulated more than 1,000 reactions and 200 shares. Other versions of the claim have garnered thousands of reactions on Facebook.
But no clinics have closed since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
While some Planned Parenthood clinics suspended abortion services in certain states, USA TODAY found no evidence of mass closures of clinics. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood told USA TODAY the clinics remain open and are providing a variety of healthcare services in states where abortions are now illegal.
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USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment. Nate Pickowicz, who posted the original tweet, said he deleted it after he was unable to confirm the claim about closures was accurate.
Clinics are still operating
There have been no closures of Planned Parenthood clinics since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gloria Martinez, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, confirmed to USA TODAY in an email exchange.
“Planned Parenthood health centers across the country will continue to provide the full range of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care services… even at health centers that are forced to deny abortion care to patients in need due to their state’s legal landscape,” Martinez said.
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Planned Parenthood health centers have closed in the past because of a lack of funding.
For example, Planned Parenthood announced June 12 – two weeks before the Supreme Court’s abortion decision – that five clinics in Northern New England were shut down in the wake of “COVID-19, ongoing political attacks, staffing shortages, increased costs and fewer funding opportunities.”
Some clinics halting abortions
Planned Parenthood clinics no longer provide abortion services in states with trigger laws. Those are laws that went into effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned, outlawing abortion in some or all circumstances.
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A health center locator on the Planned Parenthood website warns users that abortion is now prohibited in states that have such laws in place.
Clinics in these states still provide other services including birth control, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim Planned Parenthood clinics are shutting down all over the country. Planned Parenthood confirmed that no clinics have closed since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The health centers continue to offer medical treatments in places where they are no longer allowed to offer abortion services.
Our fact-checking sources:
- USA TODAY, June 24, Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion
- Planned Parenthood, accessed July 20, Is Abortion Still Accessible in My State Now That Roe v. Wade Was Overturned?
- Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, Inc., Aug. 19, 2019, BREAKING: Planned Parenthood Defunded from the Title X Program
- Planned Parenthood Northern New England, June 12, Health Center Expansions and Closures
- PolitiFact, July 5, No Planned Parenthood clinics have closed since the abortion ruling
- Reuters Fact Check, June 29, Fact Check-As of June 2022, no evidence of mass Planned Parenthood clinic closures
- Planned Parenthood, accessed July 20, Find a Health Center
- Gloria Martinez, July 5, Email exchange with USA TODAY
- Axios, updated July 20, Where abortion has been banned now that Roe v. Wade is overturned
- New York Times, June 24, Friday’s ruling prompts confusion and closures at abortion clinics.
- Planned Parenthood Great Plains, June 24, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Reacts to Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade; Ending Abortion Access in Majority of the Midwest
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