Abortion and contraception services provider Planned Parenthood will close and sell its only Manhattan location, the organization announced Wednesday in a statement.

“The gap between inflation and stagnant reimbursement rates has forced us to make difficult but necessary decisions, including selling 26 Bleecker Street, home of the Manhattan Health Center,” Planned Parenthood of Greater New York CEO Wendy Stark said in the statement.

The property has an approximate value of $39 million, according to a report by New York non-profit news website Gothamist. The closure of the facility requires state approval, the report said.

In September 2024, Planned Parenthood announced it would close four of 23 clinics in New York State, but did not specify their locations at that time.

“We give thanks to God that Planned Parenthood will be closing its Manhattan clinic, where so many unborn children have been killed over the years. While we welcome the news of this closure, as well as several others in recent months, it raises serious questions. Planned Parenthood has received tens of millions of dollars from New York State in the past few years alone, yet they are unable to keep their doors open. We implore our lawmakers to stop pouring precious state resources into this failing organization and direct those funds to the children and families that so desperately need them. For our part, we will continue to walk with moms in need and support organizations that offer meaningful assistance to struggling populations,” Kristen E. Curran, Esq., director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, told The Good Newsroom by email.

The Bleecker Street site has been a frequent prayer stop for 40 Days for Life and monthly Witness for Life prayer vigils. New York-based photographer Jeffrey Bruno, who has documented such events for more than a decade, expressed surprise and relief over the Manhattan venue’s closure on his Substack blog site.

In a post titled, “Planned Parenthood to Shutter Manhattan Clinic: A Witness to Answered Prayers,” Bruno exclaimed, “I almost fell out of my chair. This was no ordinary closure to me or to the countless others who’ve stood on those sidewalks in prayer. This was a moment of Divine intervention—a testament to the power of Grace.”

“It seemed especially fitting that the announcement came today, on the Feast of St. Joseph. St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, embodies faithfulness, humility, and silent strength. His life, marked by unwavering obedience to God and protection of the most vulnerable, mirrors the quiet, steadfast witness of those who’ve prayed outside the facility,” Bruno wrote.