Abortion giant Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday over a provision in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” stripping the organization of taxpayer dollars through Medicaid for one year.
The organization filed the lawsuit in Boston federal court, arguing that the provision is unconstitutional and will block its nearly 600 centers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements, Reuters reported.
“The true design of the Defund Provision is simply to express disapproval of, attack, and punish Planned Parenthood, which plays a particularly prominent role in the public debate over abortion,” Planned Parenthood said.
The lawsuit comes after Planned Parenthood told the Trump administration on July 3, “We’ll see you in court.” The organization claimed that the provision could result in nearly 200 Planned Parenthood locations in 24 states becoming at risk of closure, with 90 percent of those closures occurring in states where abortion is still legal. The organization also argued that more than 1 million women could lose access to other treatments besides abortions, like cancer screenings and STI testing — services that have notably been trending downward, according to Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report.
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.
Lawmakers originally tried to defund the organization for ten years, but the timing was changed to one year in the final version of the bill. 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.
Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report revealed record numbers of abortions and taxpayer funding in 2023-2024.
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 is the second largest provider of so-called “gender-affirming care” — a left-wing euphemism for sex-mutilation surgeries and drugs given to people who identify as transgender. In 2022, the organization reported that 41 of its 49 affiliates provided such services, including puberty blockers for minors and cross-sex hormones, according to the Senate HELP Committee.
The inclusion of the provision followed a Supreme Court ruling essentially allowing states to deny Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood. The provision in the budget reconciliation bill applies nationally.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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