Pro-life organizations are praising Congress for passing the “Big, Beautiful Bill” on Thursday, which strips federal taxpayer dollars to abortion-giant Planned Parenthood through Medicaid.
The provision was allowed to remain in the final version of the budget reconciliation bill after Senate Republicans changed the timing of defunding from ten years to one year. While pro-life organizations view the move as a battle won, they are pledging to continue fighting to have the organization permanently defunded through debarment.
“For years, we’ve said that forced taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood & Big Abortion could end, arguing with our political friends and enemies that being good at paperwork doesn’t make Planned Parenthood qualified for anything. Never again should we need to make that case. The Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, and, soon, we believe President Trump, will all have agreed with the Pro-Life Generation that Planned Parenthood can go fund themselves,” Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins said.
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“It’s disappointing that rather than a 10-year stop in funding, we have only a one-year pause. But that one year shows that the one thing Planned Parenthood most fears can happen. Now, we all know that it’s possible to tell them, YOU’RE FIRED,” she added. “A One-Year Pause in forced taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood means that right as the midterm elections are underway, we will have to have this debate again. But for a more permanent change, debarment is the right next step. Even the U.S. Senate Parliamentarian, who had too big a role in this process, can’t think that a discredited vendor must be paid.”
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Live Action’s Lila Rose said the provision is “only the beginning.”
“For years, Americans have been forced to subsidize the killing of innocent children and the exploitation of vulnerable women. Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion chain, ending over 400,000 lives annually while masking their business as healthcare. This defunding victory is a crucial step toward ending that injustice,” Rose said.
“But this is only the beginning. Every dollar stripped from the abortion giant is a win for life, but the goal is total and permanent defunding and the closing of every abortion facility’s doors. No taxpayer should ever be complicit in violence. Every mother deserves real support, and every child deserves the chance to live,” she continued.
“We will not rest until the abortion industry is fully defunded, the truth is known, and life is protected in law and in love. I am deeply grateful for the lawmakers, activists, and millions of pro-life Americans who have fought tirelessly to reach this moment, and who will keep going until the fight is won,” she added.
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser called defunding Planned Parenthood “the greatest pro-life victory since the Dobbs decision.”
“For the first time in history, Congress is halting forced taxpayer funding of Big Abortion in the Medicaid program for one year. This will save lives and strip over $500 million from Big Abortion’s coffers. Combined with last week’s Supreme Court decision empowering states to do the same, this represents tremendous progress toward achieving a decades-long goal that has long proved elusive,” she said.
“Women are far better served at federally qualified health centers, which outnumber Planned Parenthood locations 15 to 1 nationwide and provide comprehensive, accessible care to Medicaid recipients and families in need. This victory is a decisive step toward ending the abortion industry’s grip on our tax dollars and redirecting resources to places that truly serve women and their families,” she added in part. “The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers a historic win on a critical priority: stopping forced taxpayer funding of the abortion industry.”
American Life League “mourned the news,” calling the change from ten years to one year a “disheartening concession.”
“It’s like allowing a criminal to temporarily pause violent acts, knowing they’ll resume soon. We, as pro-lifers, have worked tirelessly, presenting irrefutable and growing evidence that exposes Planned Parenthood’s horrific nature, particularly its impact on vulnerable women and unborn children,” National Director of American Life League Katie Brown Xavios said. “To receive only a token punishment for those who harm women and kill the innocent is unacceptable. Pro-life Americans deserve far more. It’s time our lawmakers demonstrated a true commitment to protecting every unborn child and supporting women with real, life-affirming choices.”
Pro-life demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court during a rally, March 26, 2024, in Washington. (Jose Luis Magana AP)
The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses echoed a similar sentiment.
“This is a victory for patients, for providers, and for women’s health,” Communications Director for the National Association of Pro-Life Nurses (NAPN) Felipe Avila said. “Planned Parenthood has spent decades running a taxpayer-funded abortion cartel — unchecked, unaccountable, and politically protected. Today, Congress finally stood up and said enough. But let’s be clear: this is not the finish line. Until every single federal dollar is ripped out of Planned Parenthood’s hands, women and patients are still at risk.”
“The message to Congress is simple: Don’t stop now,” Avila said. “Cutting funding for a year is a start. But as long as taxpayer dollars are funneling into Planned Parenthood’s bottom line, the job isn’t done. Debar them. Shut it down for good. Stop forcing nurses and healthcare workers to underwrite abortion with every paycheck.”
The passage of the provision defunding Planned Parenthood for one year comes after a major campaign by conservatives and pro-life organizations urging Republicans and President Donald Trump to end taxpayer dollars to abortion organizations through reconciliation — as Congress did in 2015 and 2017.
Defunding abortion providers through the reconciliation process allowed the Senate to bypass the critical 60-vote threshold for a simple majority vote, instead capitalizing on Republicans’ overall trifecta. While federal funding for abortions specifically is barred by the Hyde Amendment, pro-life opponents argue no federal funds should be used to prop up any organization that performs abortions.
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Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report revealed record numbers of abortions and taxpayer funding in 2023-2024.
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The report, called “A Force For Hope,” states that 402,230 unborn babies were killed in abortions, up from 392,715 the previous year. At the same time, the organization received $792.2 million in taxpayer funding, up almost $100 million from the previous year.
“Planned Parenthood has said losing Medicaid funding would put at least 200 health centers across the country at risk of closure — 90 percent of them in states where abortion is legal. More than 1 million low-income people would lose access to a health care provider,” according to the Hill.
The inclusion of the provision follows a Supreme Court ruling last week essentially allowing states to deny Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood. The provision in the budget reconciliation bill applies nationally.
President Trump is expected to sign the “Big, Beautiful Bill” at the White House on July 4.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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