New York Planned Parenthood staff decry ‘devastating’ abortion service cuts

Health non-profit’s affiliate announced changes for September, but staff say abortion access is already limited

Susan Rinkunas
Sat 17 Aug 2024 07.00 EDT

In the coming weeks, Planned Parenthood’s Manhattan health center will stop offering core reproductive health services, including abortions after 20 weeks and deep sedation for procedures like abortion or IUD insertion.

The Manhattan clinic currently offers abortion through 24 weeks and is the only Planned Parenthood location in the state that does so. The group has been beset by financial challenges, and plans to close a number of New York clinics in the near future.

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY), which operates the Manhattan clinic, announced the changes – which the group said were temporary and would take effect on 3 September – earlier this month, blaming them on financial problems. The organization said it would refer patients in need of those services to independent providers.

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In a release, PPGNY cited budget shortfalls due in part to state lawmakers failing to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for medication abortion. More than half of the organization’s patients have Medicaid, a state-run health insurance program for low-income people. The affiliate says the financial strain makes it unable to afford a third-party anaesthesia provider, and that deep sedation is its standard of care for abortions after 20 weeks.

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