Autumn Williams, communications director for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, says that ultimately, since the nonprofit no longer offers abortions and staff was reduced, some centers were too big for the operations that remained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a long process, death by a thousand cuts, basically,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a super-challenging landscape, particularly because Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast was rooted in two different states, so there were two different legislative threats and two different defunding scenarios.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the obstacles, Planned Parenthood Greater Texas took over the four remaining Houston centers and oversees those in addition to the ones in North, Central and West Texas. An affiliate, Planned Parenthood of South Texas, is based in San Antonio and serves patients in the Rio Grande Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DontMessWithTXWomen.png\")
Pro-choice advocates continue to speak out against Texas\u2019 near-total abortion ban four years after Roe v. Wade was reversed. Credit: Screenshot<\/p>\n
Planned Parenthood receives no state or federal funding, and Medicaid funding was withdrawn from the nonprofit in 2021. The agency operates primarily on private donations. It has always offered more than birth control pills, IUDs and abortions, Williams says. It provides pregnancy testing and can \u201cgive people accurate information about their pregnancy options,\u201d Williams says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Planned Parenthood centers employ doctors and nurses and offer gynecological exams, sexually transmitted infection testing, breast exams and cervical cancer screening. They also provide gender-affirming care and hormone therapy for adults over the age of 18. Hormone therapy isn\u2019t just for the transgender population; it has become increasingly popular among perimenopausal and menopausal women, Williams adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to sexual and reproductive healthcare has been diminished greatly in Texas over the past 15 years, with pretty devastating consequences, particularly for communities that already face systemic barriers to care and education,\u201d Williams says, noting that most Planned Parenthood patients are uninsured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Federal Legislation on Mifepristone<\/p>\n
Although Planned Parenthood can\u2019t prescribe or distribute abortion drugs, they are permitted by law to refer people to abortionfinder.org<\/a>, a clearinghouse of resources for abortion pills by mail and in-person procedures in states where it is legal.\u00a0<\/p>\n So Williams says she\u2019s keeping an eye on a looming Supreme Court debate over Mifepristone, a popular abortion pill that accounts for two-thirds of American abortions and, when used with Misoprostol, can also manage miscarriages.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the ultra-conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a 2023 Food and Drug Administration regulation that allowed Mifepristone to be obtained by mail. Until recently, Texans were able to get around the abortion ban by securing Mifepristone prescriptions through telehealth appointments from states where abortion is legal. In the biggest jolt to abortion policy since Dobbs, the 5th Circuit\u2019s ruling states that Mifepristone may only be obtained in person.\u00a0<\/p>\n Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued a temporary halt to the 5th Circuit\u2019s reversal last week, an action that pleased pro-choice advocates, but the \u201cstay\u201d only lasts a week and expires today, Monday, May 11. The temporary hold also raises questions about what exactly the Supreme Court is \u201cteeing up\u201d in terms of whether Texans will have access to Mifepristone in the future or the matter will be tied up in a federal court system for years, says University of Houston Law Center professor Seth Chandler.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Mifepristone debate covers three major issues, Chandler says, noting that the most troubling matter is Louisiana\u2019s desire to file suit because \u201ca federal policy has an indirect effect on its pocketbook.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe first is abortion \u2014 still the most consequential social policy question on the court\u2019s docket,\u201d Chandler says. \u201cThe second is standing \u2014 when can a state drag the federal government into court over a regulation that does not directly require the state to do anything? The third is remedy \u2014 can a single court of appeals effectively shut down a federal rule nationwide? Cases that bundle one such issue are [worthy of review by a higher court]. This one bundles all three.\u201d<\/p>\n The New Orleans-based 5th Circuit is composed of justices who were all appointed by Republican presidents and is considered to be the most conservative federal appeals court in the United States. Although it only hears cases from Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, banning an abortion drug and overturning an FDA ruling has national implications.\u00a0<\/p>\n Justice Alito\u2019s temporary hold was in response to a request from Mifepristone manufacturer Danco Laboratories. Chandler predicts the stay will be extended past Monday, and the matter will likely go before the full Supreme Court for a more extensive review when a new term begins in October.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe 5th Circuit ruling is very difficult to understand,\u201d Chandler says. \u201cIts position seems very much at odds with several Supreme Court precedents. The 5th Circuit cited its own precedents but ignored the decisions of the Supreme Court that narrowed those rulings. I find the 5th Circuit\u2019s decision on Louisiana\u2019s standing to sue to be very suspect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Chandler says the Supreme Court may say that it\u2019s appropriate in this context for a federal court of appeals to issue a ruling that affects people across the country but the issue of standing \u2014 whether Louisiana has the right to sue \u2014 is what bothers him the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mifepristone was approved by the FDA in 2000, with generic versions going on the market in 2019 and 2025. Pro-choice advocates say the drug is proven to be safe and effective. However, Texas and Florida are suing the FDA, saying the agency did not conduct proper safety evaluations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Critics say Mifepristone is designed to end lives and can also be dangerous to the pregnant woman, noting that in most cases, a doctor is not present when the drug is taken. Lila Rose, founder of the anti-abortion group Live Action<\/a>, said in a statement that the \u201creckless mail order abortion pill scheme has fueled a surge in chemical abortions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas\u2019 \u201cbounty hunter law\u201d was approved last year and allows residents to sue prescribers and distributors of abortion-inducing drugs for up to $100,000 per case. However, 22 states where the medication is prescribed have \u201cshield laws\u201d that provide civil and criminal protections for healthcare providers who assist people in states like Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n The outcome of the Mifepristone matter concerns Planned Parenthood because its staff is charged with providing accurate information on pregnancy options, Williams says. Although Planned Parenthood is no longer directly involved in abortion, it can distribute morning-after pills such as Plan B, an emergency contraception to prevent ovulation or pregnancy. Such medication is available over the counter and by prescription and is legal for anyone who needs it, Williams says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone is seeking abortion care, we would refer them to resources about where they can seek that elsewhere,\u201d she says. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be undercover about it. There\u2019s nothing illegal about sharing information about where abortion is available and legal, and what those options are.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid the abortion debates that have gained national attention, Williams says that some Texas anti-abortion activists and elected officials attempt to sow fear and confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Planned-Parenthood-1.png\")
Planned Parenthood supporters advocate at a 2023 rally. Credit: Screenshot<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brandon-and-Cheryl-Nelson.png\")
Brandon Nelson and his mother Cheryl have supported Planned Parenthood for decades. Credit: Screenshot<\/p>\n