At Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania (PPSP) health centers, we make sure Philadelphians have access to compassionate, affordable sexual and reproductive healthcare. We’ve been there for people during their first visit for birth control, their annual cancer screening, or the moment they needed to know — without judgment — if they were pregnant. We’ve guided survivors of sexual assault through some of the most difficult days of their lives. And we’ve sat across from patients in exam rooms as they’ve made deeply personal choices about their futures.
We do this work because every person, no matter their zip code, income, or insurance status, deserves high-quality care. But today, in Philadelphia, that promise is under threat.
In the face of the devastating loss of Title X funding and an increasingly hostile environment for sexual and reproductive healthcare, we urged Philadelphia’s leaders to rise to the moment by allocating funding for the 20,000 Philadelphians who depend on our care. That funding would have supported access to birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, wellness exams, and other critical services at our busiest health centers.
We were looking for our leaders in Philadelphia to stand up for us. To their credit, some members did — champions like Kendra Brooks and others fought to fund sexual and reproductive care, but ultimately Philadelphia City Council and the Mayor finalized a budget that offered $0 to our health centers.
Choosing not to act locally right now means choosing to let patients fall through the cracks.
While other cities are stepping up, Philly is sitting out. New York City offers free abortion pills at health centers and enacted a reproductive healthcare line item of $1.2 million. Atlanta, Baltimore, Columbus, St. Louis and others have created funds to help with the travel and costs associated with seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare.
But Philadelphia City Council passed a budget that offered nothing. Not a single dollar for sexual and reproductive healthcare in a city where disparities in health outcomes are stark, and where thousands already struggle to find providers they can trust. Their timing could not be worse. Federal and state policies are stripping away funding streams that have kept care within reach for decades. Choosing not to act locally right now means choosing to let patients fall through the cracks.
The harm isn’t confined to just the city. Across Pennsylvania, patients are being locked out of care because of extremist policies. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed earlier this year bars Planned Parenthood health centers from being reimbursed for the treatment of Medicaid patients. For many, especially in underserved communities, other providers simply don’t exist. The reality is that if Planned Parenthood can’t provide care, many patients will struggle to find new providers and consistent care leading to later-stage cancer diagnoses, untreated infections, and unplanned pregnancies.
Politics won. Patients lost. And public health will suffer for generations.
Attacks on sexual and reproductive care don’t always look like outright abortion bans. Sometimes they take the form of blocking funding, targeting providers, or erecting hurdles so high that care becomes functionally out of reach. That’s exactly what’s happening now. The loss of Title X funding, the Medicaid ban, and the City’s refusal to step up combine to create a healthcare desert for those who cannot afford it. The message this sends to our patients is that they are expendable.
Without action, thousands of Philadelphians — most of them people of color, many living below the poverty line — will lose access to the care that helps them live healthier, more autonomous lives. In fact, a majority of our patients, 66 percent of them, have incomes under 250 percent of the poverty level, and even more who may not technically meet the poverty threshold still struggle to make ends meet, and will acutely feel the financial strain of losing a healthcare provider. This isn’t just about individual health; it’s about the health of our entire city. When people can’t get preventive care, small problems become emergencies. An untreated STI can lead to infertility. A missed Pap smear can mean a cervical cancer diagnosis years too late. A lack of affordable contraception can derail someone’s education, career, or plans for their family.
We’re proud to be part of the safety net that catches people before they fall. But even the strongest safety net can’t work if it’s riddled with holes. City leaders have a choice: They can stand by while Philadelphians lose access to trusted providers, or they can invest in the health and future of their constituents. An appropriation for Planned Parenthood is not a handout: It’s a smart, compassionate investment that will save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and affirm that our city believes in bodily autonomy and health equity. Aren’t we one Philly after all?
An appropriation for Planned Parenthood is not a handout: It’s a smart, compassionate investment that will save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and affirm that our city believes in bodily autonomy and health equity. Aren’t we one Philly after all?
We call on City Council and Mayor Parker to revisit this decision immediately upon their return to the fall session. Fill the funding gap. Ensure that every person who needs care can get it, regardless of insurance status or income. We also call on you: our neighbors, patients, and allies, to speak up. Contact your City Councilmember. Call the Mayor. Tell them you expect them to protect and defend access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. Remind them that these services are not optional; they are essential.
We will continue to fight these battles in the courts, in Harrisburg, and in Washington, D.C., but local action matters. Philadelphia can choose to be a leader in protecting and expanding care, or it can follow the dangerous path set by extremists who want to control our bodies and our futures. We know which path we’ll be walking.
Signe Espinoza is Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Sarah Scully is Program Assistant at Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
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