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After President Donald Trump’s administration passed a sweeping budget reconciliation bill cutting federal Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood this summer, Nicole Donahue said it wasn’t only disappointing, but it felt like “going backward.”

“I personally feel that the government has no place in the doctor’s room,” Donahue, president of Syracuse University’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action, said.

In response, SU’s PPGen chapter and Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide have pledged to continue fighting for reproductive health care access, saying they will not be “intimidated” by the administration.

Abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023 will no longer receive funding for the next year, per a provision in Trump’s megabill signed into law on July 4. Because Medicaid is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, it’s up to states to cover those services.

The bill effectively writes Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid, an insurance program that more than half its patients rely on to receive reproductive healthcare, including birth control, STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings, pregnancy tests and abortion care.

Before, Trump froze federal funding to more than 100 Planned Parenthood locations, forcing many states to close clinics so they could focus resources on the most populated and critical areas.

These measures are part of a broader wave of health policy rollbacks under the Trump administration, alongside U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Other decisions include funding freezes, withdrawal from the World Health Organization, vaccine research restrictions and recent attacks on Tylenol.

Alice Jenkins, an SU sophomore and PPGen’s vice president of external affairs, said she was “disgusted” by the decision. She added that many who voted to defund Planned Parenthood have likely used its services themselves.

“It’s never been about abortion. It’s never been about babies. It’s just the need to control women and what they can do with their bodies,” Jenkins said.
While many SU students may not risk losing healthcare, Donahue said it’s important to recognize those affected — especially in central New York, where more than 30,000 people may be uninsured over the next two years.

“Empathy is a driving factor for politics,” Donahue said. “I have access to healthcare and I have access to all these wonderful services, but I think it’s really important to remember that there are people who don’t have access to these things.”

Recently, PPGen made a statement on its Instagram announcing Trump’s defunding plan. The statement called the decision a “disservice to patients,” writing that “healthcare is a human right — not a privilege.”

The Syracuse Planned Parenthood center, located on East Genesee St., will continue serving patients with Medicaid, according to a LinkedIn repost from Meredith Ouderkirk, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York and an advisor for PPGen.

Donahue said she joined PPGen as a freshman last fall with a strong interest in political advocacy. She said Planned Parenthood’s commitment to fighting for its patients and improving national healthcare standards motivated her.

As a political science and policy studies double major, Donahue said students need to stay informed about the challenges facing communities that rely on reproductive health resources.

“It’s not just what happens in Congress and then everyone goes home,” Donahue said. “It’s our food, our water, our resources, our taxes. It’s all encompassing.”

For PPGen Secretary Sophia Hoyos Murray, bonding with people who have similar feelings about the current administration and reproductive rights is why she chose to get involved.

She described a general body meeting last October before the 2024 presidential election, when stress levels were high.

“Just hearing people also say they were scared and had anxieties, I think that just makes you feel less alone,” Hoyos Murray said.

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood raised $498 million in donations in 2022. However, much of that funding went toward legal and political battles to protect abortion rights, rather than directly supporting clinic care.

Trump’s attack on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace coverage would leave many without insurance, forcing them to rely on free or low-cost reproductive health services like Planned Parenthood, which serve as a critical safety net.

Without that safety net, Jenkins said, patients will be forced to turn to already overcrowded emergency rooms for care, adding strain to an overworked health care system and creating a “domino effect.”

“It’s honestly hard to imagine the hole it would put in our health care system and our society,” Jenkins said.

Some patients avoid seeking help altogether, feeling uncomfortable getting reproductive care at large general hospitals — potentially putting their health at greater risk, Hoyos Murray added.

Over 70% of Planned Parenthood health centers are located in rural or medically underserved communities. Out of the patients who report their income, nearly 70% are at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.

Jenkins said Planned Parenthood greatly benefits low-income and marginalized communities, and for some, is all they can afford when visiting a gynecologist is too expensive.

Growing up in a low-income family, Donahue said she found reassurance in knowing Planned Parenthood would be there if she ever needed it.

“Having access to resources from the government and social safety nets literally saved me and my family’s lives,” Donahue said. “There’s been so many moments where it’s like, ‘Oh, this affects me.’”

PPGen held its first general body meeting on Sept. 16, with more than 30 members in attendance, Hoyos Murray said. The Love Island–themed event, titled “Coupling Up with Pop Culture and Reproductive Health,” was held after the dating show’s season finale.

Hoyos Murray said the organization tries to create fun themes to help increase involvement. With so much happening in the news, she said, it’s important to have a space where people can feel comfortable and discuss topics openly.

PPGen will continue to host information sessions and general body meetings in the coming months. The organization is also attempting to set up Plan B vending machines on campus, an initiative that started last year.

“The only thing that is really, really important to us is spreading information,” Donahue said. “It feels small in the moment, but the bigger picture is that we all are making informed decisions and have the resources to take care of ourselves.”

Published on September 23, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Contact Kate: kjacks19@syr.edu