Planned Parenthood’s presence in Louisiana has come to a close after more than 40 years, a development hailed by pro-life advocates as a historic milestone in one of the nation’s most conservative states.
The shutdown of clinics in Baton Rouge and New Orleans makes Louisiana the most populous state in the country without a single Planned Parenthood location.
The closures follow the passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping Republican tax and spending measure that barred Medicaid reimbursements for abortion providers.
Planned Parenthood challenged the measure in court, but when an appeals court lifted an injunction earlier this month, the law immediately took effect.
Louisiana now joins Mississippi, Wyoming and North Dakota as states without any Planned Parenthood facilities, The Dailly Caller reports.
Gov. Jeff Landry celebrated the announcement as a defining moment for the pro-life cause.
“This is a win for babies, a win for mothers, and a win for LIFE!” Landry wrote on X.
State Attorney General Liz Murrill was even more direct, saying, “Planned Parenthood built its business around promoting death. Louisiana chose life.”
Pro-life organizations echoed the sentiment.
Erica Inzina, policy director of Louisiana Right to Life, remarked, “We will be glad to see those signs removed,” pointing to years of controversy surrounding the organization.
She cited undercover footage released in 2015 that appeared to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts.
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which operated the Louisiana clinics, described the closures as the result of sustained political attacks rather than declining demand.
“This is not a decision we wanted to make; it is one we were forced into by political warfare,” said Melaney Linton, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.
She accused pro-life lawmakers of deliberately dismantling public health infrastructure and cutting off access to care.
Although the Louisiana clinics were never licensed to perform abortions, they served approximately 11,000 patients in 2023.
Services included nearly 30,000 tests for sexually transmitted infections, over 14,000 birth control visits and more than 1,800 cancer screenings, according to WWLTV.
Abortion rights advocates now warn that the closures will strain a state already grappling with one of the highest maternal mortality rates and a severe shortage of OB-GYN providers.
Republicans counter that the numbers tell a different story.
Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report shows the group performed more than 400,000 abortions in fiscal year 2023–24 while receiving over $700 million in government reimbursements and grants.
At the same time, private contributions fell 31 percent from the previous year.
The impact stretches beyond Louisiana. Planned Parenthood has closed more than 40 clinics nationwide this year, including its massive “Prevention Park” facility in Houston, once billed as the largest Planned Parenthood center in the Western Hemisphere.
The organization has warned that nearly 200 clinics could be shuttered if federal funding restrictions continue.
Meanwhile, Louisiana lawmakers are pressing ahead with additional restrictions.
A new law allows residents to sue out-of-state doctors who mail abortion-inducing pills into Louisiana, even if those doctors practice in states where abortion remains legal.
Fox 40 reports that Attorney General Murrill is also challenging “shield laws” in blue states that attempt to protect abortion providers from prosecution.
For pro-life advocates, the closures represent more than a state-level victory.
They view Louisiana’s exit as a national turning point in the decades-long battle over abortion.
As Murrill declared, “Louisiana chose life. And other states are watching.”
