Sioux City’s Planned Parenthood location has closed its doors for good.
The closing affects more than 5,000 people in the region who relied on the clinic for women's health care, including birth control and gynecology care. The location closed in June.
Several locations in Iowa will also see their doors close, including clinics in Burlington and Keokuk.
GOP lawmakers have been working diligently to stop funding to Planned Parenthood. A few years ago, “Republican legislators worked to redirect Medicaid family planning dollars away from abortions providers,” according to the Sioux City Journal.
Planned Parenthood provides services to thousands of individuals each year, many of who live under the poverty line, the paper reports. Two Democratic legislators called the continued attack on Planned Parenthood "troubling" and acknowledge that many women in the area will lose their care because of the shutdowns, according to the report.
Local GOP lawmakers claims the move will free up funds and encourage existing Medicaid providers to expand their services and invest in more programs for women, the paper reported.
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