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It's Planned Parenthood's birthday on Thursday! Together, we've been fighting for sexual and reproductive health and rights for 109 years.
We're proud to celebrate that history with you today. It's a good way to remember that advancing reproductive freedom has always taken hard work and dedication. That's why we're still counting on the courage and commitment of people like you today.
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1916: The first clinic opened
The country's very first birth control clinic — which would eventually transform into Planned Parenthood — opened in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
1916: Opposition to reproductive health was swift
Nine days later, the clinic was shut down after a police raid. But this was only the start of the Planned Parenthood movement.
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1942: Planned Parenthood Federation of America is officially formed
26 years after the first health center opened, Planned Parenthood officially got its name.
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1948: Planned Parenthood funds birth control research
Biologists advance research for a birth control pill. Over the next decade, unethical birth control trials were conducted on women with low incomes in Puerto Rico.
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1960: The FDA approves the birth control pill
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval changed birth control access forever.
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1970: Congress funds Title X
With bi-partisan support, Congress created the first (and only!) federal family planning program dedicated to providing affordable birth control, sex education, and more.
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1973: The Supreme Court recognizes abortion rights
In a 7-2 decision in the landmark case Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to establish the constitutional right to abortion.
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2010: Affordable Care Act passes
After years of advocacy from Planned Parenthood and others, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, expanding insurance for millions and mandating insurance coverage for birth control.
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2022: The Supreme Court reverses abortion rights
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the court threw out 50 years of precedent to overturn Roe v. Wade, allowing a wave of state abortion bans to harm patients and undermine freedom nationwide.
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2025: Reproductive health rights are being eroded across the country — but like we've done for 109 years, Planned Parenthood fights back.
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This year, nearly 450 bills that restrict abortion have been introduced in almost every state — but more than 400 bills to protect and expand abortion have been introduced in 46 states.
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In July, Congress and President Trump passed a law to "defund" Planned Parenthood, which tries to prevent patients from using their Medicaid insurance to get birth control, STI testing, and other sexual and reproductive health services at Planned Parenthood health centers.
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We sued to block the law and gained temporary relief for patients, but a federal appeals court recently allowed the Trump administration to enforce this unconstitutional law.
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The legal battle continues: We're not done fighting on behalf of the 1.1 million patients who may not be able to use their Medicaid insurance at Planned Parenthood health centers.
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Earlier this year, the Trump administration unlawfully withheld millions of dollars of Title X family planning funds from Planned Parenthood health centers. For more than 50 years, Title X has helped people afford birth control, STI testing and treatment, and other essential care — and the attacks on this vital program are not over.
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Now, the Trump administration has reportedly cut the entire staff of the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) that oversees the Title X program, leaving the future of the program — and the care it provides for millions who use it — in limbo.
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As always, we will continue to fight to ensure everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they make, has the freedom to control their own body, life, and future. We need you with us.
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What comes next is
up to you.
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Planned Parenthood has never backed down over the last 109 years, and we won't stop protecting patients now — no matter what.
As we honor our shared history, it's good to know that you're still with us and committed to advancing reproductive freedom.
Thanks,
— Planned Parenthood
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