LGBTQ+ Health organization convene California state health agencies for TGI community listening session. LOS ANGELES, CA - On March 20, the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, along with TransFamily Support Services, the Trans Latin@ Coalition, and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, convened a listening session for key California health agencies to elevate the urgent needs and lived experiences of transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) community members seeking gender-affirming care. Representatives from the Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Managed Health Care, California Health and Human Services, and the California Department of Public Health joined the discussion to hear directly from advocates and community members about the growing barriers to accessing care. While gender-affirming care remains protected under California law, ongoing federal actions - including proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and executive orders - have created a chilling effect across the healthcare system. Providers and institutions are making preemptive decisions to scale back or discontinue services out of fear and uncertainty. These decisions are already impacting access. The closure of vital services and gender-affirming care clinics at hospitals is a huge concern. Yet many of the most harmful consequences remain less visible - delays in care, inconsistent guidance and communication between providers and pharmacies, and increased difficulty navigating already complex systems. At the same time, harmful misinformation and escalating anti-trans rhetoric are contributing to a broader cultural shift that threatens the safety and well-being of TGI individuals - even in progressive states like California. This climate of fear and stigma disproportionately impacts young people and those already facing systemic barriers to care. "It pains me to see this generation facing many of the same struggles I experienced growing up," stated Dannie Cesena, Director of the CA LGBTQ HHS Network. "We have fought hard to advance and protect these rights, and now we are being called to defend them once again. I'm grateful to our state partners for coming to the table so we can work collectively on concrete strategies to ensure equitable access to care for all." During the session, community members shared firsthand accounts of being failed by the healthcare system - from prescription delays and denials at pharmacies to a lack of coordination between providers - forcing many to navigate life-saving care on their own. At a time when TGI individuals are already experiencing heightened levels of discrimination, stigma, and targeted political attacks, these barriers can have devastating consequences. Everyone's health benefits when the health and rights of Transgender, Gender-diverse, and intersex individuals are respected, treated equitably, and prioritized. Ensuring access to gender-affirming care is not a political issue. Health care is a human right. "Our state health departments heard barely a fraction of the challenges TGI families and youth are navigating every day," stated Kathie Moehlig of TransFamily Support Services. "These agencies have the power and responsibility to uphold California law. We look forward to continuing this work together and developing solutions that meet the urgency of this moment." The organizations plan to host a follow-up discussion with state partners to identify actionable strategies and strengthen accountability in addressing these barriers. The California LGBTQ+ Health & Human Services Network advances and protects the health of 2SLGBTQ+ Californians by mobilizing a statewide coalition of community organizations, providers, researchers, and advocates to shape equitable public policy, strengthen implementation, and drive community-centered systems change. Posted in Blog

Planned Parenthood closes abortion biz in Washington state. State Steven Ertelt | Mar 24, 2026 | 1:39PM | Port Angeles, Washington Planned Parenthood will close its health center in Port Angeles, Washington, ending in-person services including abortion at the facility on April 2. The organization announced the closure in a statement released Thursday on its website, citing financial pressures after the defunding bill last year that Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed. "Like many health care organizations, we have faced huge obstacles, from funding cuts to critical programs like Medicaid, to rising care costs. We also know that patient needs and priorities are changing, with more people turning to telemedicine for their health care," the statement said. "Because of this, we are making difficult but necessary adjustments to our health center network. We also made the difficult but necessary decision to close our Port Angeles, WA health center. Thursday, April 2 is our last day to see patients in-person." The abortion giant is shifting to telehealth abortions, where it will mail abortion pills to customers to kill their babies. That has resulted in an explosion of abortions across the country. The Port Angeles facility sold abortion drugs up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and now customers will have to get them from another location in person or via telehealth - which puts women's lives at risk. The closure comes amid a broader wave of Planned Parenthood facility shutdowns. Earlier this week the abortion organization said it will close two centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, effective April 3, consolidating operations at another site there. Pro-life advocates have welcomed the reductions in Planned Parenthood's brick-and-mortar footprint, noting it as part of a continuing national trend of more than 50 permanent closures related to defunding.

Indiana abortions drop from 1,979 to 26 as abortion ban saves babies. State Steven Ertelt | Mar 24, 2026 | 9:07AM | Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana's protective abortion ban is successfully saving unborn babies, with reported abortions plummeting to just 26 in the final three months of 2025 - down dramatically from 1,979 in the same quarter of 2021 before the law took full effect. That's according to new data from the Indiana Department of Health. The department released its abortion report for October through December 2025 on February 28, revealing the lowest quarterly abortion total in recent years. That's good news and means babies are being saved from abortions. There are still out of state companies mailing abortion pills to Indiana, and some women go to neighboring states for abortions. But even if the Indiana abortion ban saves just one baby, that's worth celebrating. Of the 26 abortions that still occurred, 31% involved the drugs misoprostol and/or mifepristone, while 69% were surgical procedures. Eight of the abortions, or 31%, took place after 21 weeks of gestation on viable babies. Eighteen, or 69%, were done at Riley Health Maternity Tower. Fifteen, or 58%, were listed as involving a "lethal fetal anomaly" - although prenatal testing is often wrong. The figures continue a steep decline since the state enacted its ban protecting unborn children. Comparable quarterly totals were 1,724 abortions in the fourth quarter of 2022, 46 in 2023, 39 in 2024, and now just 26 in 2025. A separate complications report documented 15 abortion-related complications filed during the period. The most common was "incomplete" abortion - in which a baby's body parts were left inside the mother - with 11 cases reported. Other complications included infection and bleeding. Some women required blood transfusions, additional surgical intervention or hospital admission. Of the complications, 11, or 73%, were linked to abortion drugs, including cases involving drugs received by mail order. The strong results come as Planned Parenthood announced it will close two Indianapolis abortion centers - the Midtown and Southside clinics - on April 3, consolidating operations at its Georgetown Health Center following federal defunding of the abortion organization. The positive trend persists despite an ongoing legal challenge to the ban. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has appealed a March 5 Marion County Superior Court ruling by Judge Christina R. Klineman that issued a permanent injunction against the ban, claiming it violates the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act by interfering with what the judge described as a religious right to abortion. A spokesman for Attorney General Rokita said: "We disagree with the court's decision and have already appealed. As we have with every challenge against our pro-life law, we'll continue fighting to protect the lives of the unborn." Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter condemned the ruling, stating: "For the court to rule that taking the life of an unborn child is an exercise of religious freedom is deeply distressing - and a perversion of the law's intent. Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act was never intended to equate taking the life of an unborn child with religious expression in our state." The Indiana Department of Health reports are based on mandatory submissions from abortionists. The data reflect only abortions reported as occurring in Indiana. Discover more Health Care Funding Pro-Life Educational Pro-Life Support