Key Takeaways:
- A Planned Parenthood clinic in Logan, Utah, closed in May, leaving students at Utah State University without easy access to healthcare.
- Students are now carpooling 50 miles to the nearest clinic in Ogden, a two-hour round trip.
- The closure is part of a larger trend of Planned Parenthood clinics shutting down due to funding cuts under the Trump administration.
- Students who rely on affordable healthcare services, like STI tests and birth control, are disproportionately affected.
- Community members and healthcare advocates are sounding the alarm about the growing healthcare crisis.
A Growing Healthcare Crisis in Logan, Utah
For students at Utah State University in Logan, the closure of the local Planned Parenthood clinic has turned their access to healthcare into a daunting challenge. The clinic shut its doors in early May, leaving students with no choice but to travel 50 miles to the nearest Planned Parenthood in Ogden. This two-hour round trip has become a harsh reality for those seeking essential services like STI testing, birth control, and cancer screenings.
Bridget Ackroyd, a senior at USU, described the situation as “scary.” She explained that Logan is a secluded town with no public transportation to Ogden. This makes it even harder for students to reach the remaining clinic. Ackroyd emphasized that many students rely on Planned Parenthood for affordable healthcare, especially those who cannot use their parents’ insurance for sensitive services like STI tests or birth control prescriptions.
Why This Matters for Students
The loss of the Logan clinic is a significant blow to students who depend on its sliding-scale payment option. This system allowed them to pay what they could afford, making healthcare accessible even for those without insurance. Ackroyd pointed out that students who fear their parents might react negatively to seeing healthcare charges on their insurance bills are now in a tough spot.
Alternative healthcare options in Logan, like Intermountain Health and the campus health center, require insurance and often involve long wait times. Ackroyd recalled how she could get a next-day appointment for an intrauterine device (IUD) at the now-closed Planned Parenthood clinic. Now, students face delays and the added burden of traveling far for care.
A Nationwide Problem
The closure of the Logan clinic is not an isolated incident. Since President Trump took office, at least a dozen Planned Parenthood clinics across the U.S. have shut down. This trend is linked to funding cuts, particularly the freeze on Title X grants, which support family planning services like contraception and STI testing.
Shireen Ghorbani, interim president of the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, called the situation “heartbreaking.” She explained that the loss of these clinics forces patients to either travel long distances, delay care, or find alternative options, which are often unavailable or unaffordable.
In Utah alone, the Logan and St. George clinics served over 4,600 patients in 2024. Their closure has left 18 staff members without jobs and thousands of patients without a trusted healthcare provider.
The Bigger Picture: Funding Cuts and Healthcare Access
The Trump administration’s freeze on Title X funds has dealt a significant blow to Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. More than 300 of the nearly 600 clinics rely on these grants to provide essential services. Proposed cuts to Medicaid, part of a Republican budget plan, could further harm clinics that depend on Medicaid reimbursements.
Laurel Sakai, a national policy director for Planned Parenthood, said the organization has already lost over $20 million in Title X grants and $6 million for teen pregnancy prevention programs. She warned that these cuts are just the beginning, as the administration seems determined to defund Planned Parenthood entirely.
Ghorbani called the situation a “dismantling of healthcare” and warned of a “bleak future” for access to care, especially for marginalized communities.
Misunderstandings About Planned Parenthood
Despite the attacks on Planned Parenthood, many people don’t understand how the organization is funded. According to the KFF health policy nonprofit, only a third of Planned Parenthood’s revenue comes from government funds, and none of it goes toward abortions due to the Hyde Amendment. In fact, abortions make up just 4% of the services Planned Parenthood provides.
The majority of its services include cancer screenings, STI testing, and contraception. For many low-income patients, especially those on Medicaid, Planned Parenthood is their only option for affordable reproductive healthcare.
Cara Schumann of the abortion justice organization All* Above All said that one in 11 women, particularly those on Medicaid, rely on Planned Parenthood for essential care. Cutting funding for Title X and Medicaid would be a “double whammy” for these patients.
Fighting Back Against the Cuts
Planned Parenthood is gearing up to fight the funding cuts. Sakai said the organization is working with allies in Congress to push back against the budget proposals. She emphasized that the goal of these cuts is not to save money but to shut down clinics and restrict access to healthcare.
“This isn’t about the budget,” Sakai said. “It’s about taking away people’s right to choose where they get their healthcare.”
For now, students in Logan are doing what they can to support each other. Ackroyd and other community members are organizing carpools to help patients reach the Ogden clinic. But this is only a temporary solution to a much larger problem.
As Ghorbani put it, “The Trump administration is dismantling access to critical healthcare, and it’s leaving communities like Logan in a very tough spot.”
The closure of Planned Parenthood clinics is more than just a local issue—it’s a national crisis that could have long-lasting effects on access to affordable healthcare, especially for those who need it most.