California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced that the state will give Planned Parenthood $140 million in taxpayer money to keep 109 clinics open, offsetting losses tied to funding cuts imposed by Republicans in Washington, D.C.
Newsom said the move reflects California’s continued commitment to abortion access amid efforts by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to shut down the organization.
“California is a reproductive freedom state, and this latest investment continues to show our belief in protecting access to essential health care in times of distress,” Newsom said in a statement.
“Trump’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood put all our communities at risk as people seek basic health care from these community providers.”
State lawmakers are expected to revisit the issue when the legislature reconvenes in January.
Planned Parenthood had recently announced plans to eliminate primary care at clinics in Orange and San Bernardino counties beginning in December, citing financial strain.
Additional clinics in the Bay Area, Santa Cruz, and the Central Valley have also shuttered in recent months amid federal restrictions.
“The federal actions are destroying our primary care program,” said Dr. Janet Jacobson, medical director of Planned Parenthood’s Orange and San Bernardino County facilities.
“It’s inhumane to take away people’s health care.
“Folks that have Medi-Cal should be able to see the provider of their choice for primary care.”
According to Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the organization needs $27 million per month to operate all its facilities.
“The Planned Parenthood affiliates in California are grateful to Governor Newsom and our allies in the Legislature for taking this necessary step to keep Planned Parenthood health centers open and able to provide critical services as they weather the impacts of the federal defund,” Hicks said.
California joins Washington, Colorado, and New Mexico in using public funds to sustain Planned Parenthood operations.
Legislatures in Oregon and New York are also considering similar measures.
Republicans in Congress have intensified efforts to cut taxpayer funding for the abortion giant.
President Trump’s summer spending bill barred Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for abortions and other services, including mammograms, pap smears, birth control, and STI testing.
Following the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, many Planned Parenthood clinics in states with abortion restrictions have been forced to close.
The trend has extended to Democrat-led states facing reduced federal funding.
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which operates 30 clinics in California and Nevada, closed five health centers in July after Trump’s administration blocked federal funding.
“We are planning for an environment where there is no federal funding,” said Andrew Adams, the organization’s chief of staff.
“What that looks like is having to potentially charge patients some amount of money for services we provide.”
Adams added that the closures were a stopgap measure to preserve operations at other clinics through the end of the year but warned the organization could face a “financial cliff” in 2026.
Planned Parenthood has long claimed that abortions account for only 3% of its services, but pro-life leaders say the wave of clinic closures tells a different story.
“If that were true, they wouldn’t be closing all these facilities in pro-life states where you can’t do abortions,” said Shawn Carney, CEO and founder of 40 Days for Life, in an August interview with Fox News.
“So that’s hardly believable anymore in 2025.”
California lawmakers and Planned Parenthood leaders have spent much of the year searching for ways to keep the organization afloat without federal dollars.
However, with a multibillion-dollar state deficit, the state’s long-term ability to sustain that funding remains uncertain.
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