Planned Parenthood clinics across Michigan are running out of money — and patients are already losing access to care.

Three clinics in Jackson, Petoskey, and Marquette have already shut their doors this spring. Now, without emergency state funding, more closures are on the way. The Michigan Legislature has the power to stop this. We're asking them to use it.

Planned Parenthood provides far more than abortion services. Michiganders rely on these clinics for birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, pregnancy tests, and other basic health care. Many patients are low-income and have nowhere else to turn — especially in smaller cities where Planned Parenthood is the only affordable option.

The funding crisis was set off by cuts to the federally-funded Title X program, which helps cover care for people who can't afford it and don't qualify for Medicaid. Higher insurance premiums and reduced Medicaid reimbursements have made things worse. According to Planned Parenthood Michigan's president and CEO, Paula Thornton Greear, the funds that are normally meant to last through October are now running out before summer.

Planned Parenthood has asked Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for a one-time $5 million emergency infusion to keep clinics open. The governor's office responded by directing the organization to work with the legislature. So here we are — asking the Michigan Legislature directly.

Other states haven't waited. Governors in Maine and Illinois committed state funding to protect these services when the need became urgent. Michigan's lawmakers don't need to agree on everything to agree on this: people in their districts need access to affordable health care, and the window to act is closing fast.

We're calling on the Michigan State Senate and Michigan House of Representatives to approve emergency funding to keep Planned Parenthood's remaining clinics open. This is not a partisan issue — it's a public health issue. Act now, before more communities lose the care they depend on.