The non-profit offers more affordable contraceptives, and expands to prenatal and fertility care.
By Ishmael Katz
Original Air Date: June 20, 2025
Host: The Trump and DeSantis administrations are defunding Planned Parenthood and trying to turn it into a toxic entity for other organizations. The most recent attempt comes from the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress: The “Big Beautiful Bill” includes provisions to shrink access to Medicaid for patients and reduce Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood. The obvious reason: The one-hundred-and-nine year-old organization performs abortions. But abortions make up only 4% of the total services given to women. WSLR News reporter Ishmael Katz talked to the interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Florida about the other 96% of services it provides.
Barbara Zdrawecky
Barbara Zdravecky: The federal government, as well as the state government, really want to eliminate Planned Parenthood as a provider writ large, which means millions of people around the country will lose access.
Ishmael Katz: This is Barbara Zdravecky, the interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
Planned Parenthood provides much more than abortions. Through 11 regional health centers—including in Sarasota’s Rosemary District, in Newtown and in Manatee County—the organization also helps with diagnosing cancer, prevention and treatment of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. It provides preventative methods for birth control, and it helps with breast health services as well as with gender-affirming care.
15% of patients depend on Medicaid, and without reimbursement, Planned Parenthood will not be able to serve that population. The federal government and the state want to eliminate Planned Parenthood as a provider, and that puts more burden on other providers.
Waiting room at the Rosemary District clinic. Photos: Courtesy Planned Parenthood
BZ: If Medicaid is not available to Planned Parenthood in the State of Florida, the health departments will have to pick up the care. Of course, the health departments are already extraordinarily busy with the care they provide as well.
IK: Despite the continuing assault from the federal government and the State of Florida, the local affiliate has launched new programs.
BZ: Well, I think it’s important for the folks to know, despite the continued assault that we have from both the state and the federal government in Florida, our affiliate has, this year, launched a number of new programs to help folks who are not able to access care and can’t afford to access care.
We’ve started prenatal services because we know that in the health department—who provide a lot of prenatal care—there’s a three- to four-month wait to get into prenatal care services. So, if a woman comes in and is pregnant—is planning to deliver—we can get her started on the prenatal vitamins and do the testing to make sure that the pregnancy that she has is a healthy one and continue to see her through that first trimester so that, when she finally does access medical care for the rest of her pregnancy, we know that she has a healthy start.
We also started basic fertility services this year because we have lots of folks who want to have a pregnancy and, as you know, fertility care is really expensive.
IK: With the elimination of all the abortion services by other providers, Planned Parenthood has ramped up providing contraceptives as well as reducing the costs of those products.
BZ: We have really looked at the availability of different contraceptives to make for our patients because as soon as all of the abortion services were threatened and eliminated, in most cases, people were really wanting to have long-acting reversible contraceptives—the IUDs and the implants(?). We have reduced the costs of those for our patients, and we’ve also introduced sedation so that folks who want an IUD and have heard comments that it’s painful can have the sedation so that it’s not painful and it’s at a price that they can afford.
IK: In addition, the DeSantis administration is eliminating sex education at public schools in Florida.
BZ: You would want to prevent the need for abortion, but not provide the access to contraceptive services and education so that people can make good, informed decisions.
Front desk at the Rosemary clinic.
IK: Planned Parenthood was a major player in the effort to enshrine the right to an abortion in the Florida constitution. The referendum narrowly failed in the November elections, falling 2.8% short of the required 6%. But it also showed the power of, and support for, the organization.
Planned Parenthood raised over $111 million, the largest amount of money raised for a ballot initiative in the history of the country.
BZ: That was an unprecedented financial plan with us. We raised over $111 million. It’s the biggest amount of money raised for a ballot initiative in the history of the country. But yet the politicians undermined us.
IK: The governor, Florida attorney general, and HOPE Florida—the First Lady’s non-profit—have been investigated for inappropriately using state funds for the campaign against the amendment.
BZ: It’s all about politicians making decisions for the citizens, not doctors and their families who are the folks who have the knowledge and expertise to make those decisions. The politicians have taken over medical care.
IK: Reporting for WSLR News, Ishmael Katz.
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