Planned Parenthood will close two Cincinnati health centers after the organization refused to follow new rules for receiving federal money for birth control and other reproductive health services.

The Springdale Health Center and Western Hills Health Center in West Price Hill together serve more than 6,000 patients a year, according to Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. They are set to close Sept. 20.

Neither center performs abortions.

In a news release, the organization blamed federal and state policy changes for the centers' demise. The Trump administration in August began enforcing a "gag rule" preventing entities receiving Title X dollars from recommending or advocating abortion.

Instead of complying, Planned Parenthood decided it would stop accepting funding through Title X, which was created in 1970 to provide family planning help to primarily low-income women and families. The organization receives about $60 million a year.

A 2016 Ohio law passed by the GOP-dominated General Assembly defunded Planned Parenthood from several health and education programs. A federal court upheld the law earlier this year. Planned Parenthood received about $600,000 in state funding last year. The money was used to give free tests for sexually transmitted diseases, provide services related to HIV and AIDS, and run programs to reduce infant mortality.

The money could not be used for abortions, but Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion advocates argued state funding would offset operating costs and indirectly fund Planned Parenthood's abortion services.

Kersha Deibel, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said the closings will hurt Cincinnati, which has the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection of any Ohio city.

"While we’ve been battling sky-high STI rates, politicians like Sen. Rob Portman, Rep. Steve Chabot, and Govs. Mike DeWine and John Kasich have spent years relentlessly working to chip away at Ohioans’ reproductive health care," Deibel said in a statement. "This is the world they want to see: one where women lose access to birth control, where information about how to access abortion is held hostage, and where, if you don’t have money, it’s almost impossible to access an STI test or a cancer screening."

Mike Gonidakis, president of anti-abortion group Ohio Right to Life, said the closures show Ohio women are walking away from Planned Parenthood and getting health care elsewhere.

“It’s obvious that Planned Parenthood needs women more than women need them," Gonidakis said. "Ohio’s robust healthcare community stands ready to support all women in the greater Cincinnati area. We can only hope that the remaining abortion clinics follow suit and close their doors as well."

During a press conference outside Portman's downtown Cincinnati office, Deibel said Cincinnati has a high rate of sexually transmitted diseases and Ohio sits among with the worst state for infant mortality.

She said the organization will find new and innovative ways to reach people.

"Health center closures mean the people of Cincinnati will suffer," she said. "Planned Parenthood will not back down from the fight."

Officials said the Springdale Planned Parenthood opened in 1995 and the Western Hills location opened in 1977.

Between both centers, officials said 13,250 STI checks and 2208 breast exams were performed last year.

Planned Parenthood patient and advocate Caroline Lembright said she struggled to find a healthcare provider to successfully address her endometriosis, but Planned Parenthood was able to get her on the right birth control to do so.

"This is about control," Lembright said. "If Senator Portman or Congressman Chabot or even Governor Mike DeWine had painful periods, we wouldn’t be standing here today."