HHS had not filed an appeal as of Tuesday morning.
Adams said in an email to CalMatters that Planned Parenthood Mar Monte will continue to fight any attempt to restrict abortion and reproductive health care access.
“We will not back down, but we must have the resources to continue this fight while keeping as many doors open to patient care as possible,” Adams said.
In her order, Talwani reasoned that disruptions to patient care are likely to result in “adverse health consequences,” including an increase in unintended pregnancies, pregnancy complications and undiagnosed cancers and sexually transmitted infections.
“Restricting access to [Planned Parenthood] healthcare clinics will negatively affect more than just reproductive health; [Planned Parenthood clinics] often serve as a source of primary care for patients,” Talwani wrote.
Talwani also wrote that the order does not require the federal government to pay for abortions, and that Planned Parenthood shows a “substantial likelihood” of winning the lawsuit.
Abortions account for less than 10% of services provided through California Planned Parenthood, according to the organization. The majority of patient visits are for primary care, birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and cancer screenings.
The clinics that closed last week are located in South San Francisco, San Mateo, Gilroy, Santa Cruz and Madera. Together they served 22,000 patients, according to Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. The organization also ended primary care, behavioral health and prenatal care services as a result of the federal budget cuts. Those cuts total roughly $100 million for the Mar Monte clinics, according to a news release.
Leaders for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, which represents more than 100 clinics throughout the state, including the Mar Monte clinics, said Trump’s tax law will cost the system about $300 million in Medicaid reimbursements.
Jodi Hicks, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said the “economic sanctions” imposed by the Trump administration have “jeopardized access for countless Californians” to critical health care services. Still, the organization remains committed to continuing to provide patient care, Hicks said.
“Planned Parenthood will not go away quietly. We are fighting back with every tool that we have,” Hicks said.
Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
