Planned Parenthood has closed its only clinic outside of the Salt Lake City metro area, located in Logan, Utah, reducing abortion access in the state. The closure, announced Thursday, was attributed to the departure of the clinic's sole provider in March. Logan, a city of 52,000 and home to Utah State University, sits near the Idaho border where abortions are largely prohibited.

While Planned Parenthood is training new staff and aims to reopen the Logan clinic in August, along with a new facility in Ogden, access to abortion services in the area is temporarily limited. The organization is directing patients to nearby health centers and continues to offer other sexual and reproductive health services, including birth control, STI testing, and pregnancy screenings.

Three abortion clinics remain operational within the Salt Lake City metro area: two run by Planned Parenthood and the independent Wasatch Women's Clinic. The Logan closure underscores broader concerns about access to specialized care in rural areas, which are facing increasing provider shortages.

This development comes as Utah abortion clinics grapple with a new law that would phase out their licenses, although a judge has temporarily blocked the ban pending the outcome of a Planned Parenthood lawsuit. State lawmakers argue that clinic licenses are unnecessary post-Roe v. Wade. Currently, abortion is legal in Utah up to 18 weeks, while a more restrictive trigger law banning most abortions is being challenged in court.

Anti-abortion legislators anticipate winning the legal battle and contend that procedures permitted under Utah law are best performed in hospital settings.