Congress Must Permanently Defund Planned Parenthood: Taxpayer Dollars Should Never Fund the Abortion Industry

Last July 4th, Congress and President Trump took decisive action in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to prohibit the abortion industry from receiving American taxpayer dollars for one year. Now, as that one-year ban is nearing an end, there is no doubt as to whether Congress has the authority to act.

The real question is whether Congress will be able to find a way to maintain it.

In a Tax Day letter to congressional leadership, the ACLJ urged lawmakers to find a way to continue the prohibition on taxpayer funding for abortion providers, making clear that this policy reflects both constitutional principles and the will of the American people.

After Congress enacted the one-year funding prohibition, the abortion industry and its political allies moved quickly to challenge it. Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit, and a coalition of pro-abortion attorneys general led by New York Attorney General Letitia James brought a separate case from 22 states and the District of Columbia in an effort to override the law. The courts consistently rejected their claims, and the lawsuits were withdrawn.

The ACLJ was proud to stand alongside Congress throughout this legal fight. We filed seven amicus briefs defending Congressional spending authority under Article I of the Constitution and the longstanding principle that Americans should not be compelled to subsidize abortion through their tax dollars.

Take action with the ACLJ. Sign our petition: Defund Planned Parenthood Permanently.

The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization returned authority over abortion to the people and their elected representatives. Rather than retreat, the abortion industry has adapted by expanding chemical abortions, increasing mail-order distribution of abortion-inducing drugs, and leveraging favorable policies in certain states to extend its reach.

In other words, Planned Parenthood and its allies are relentlessly pursuing their objectives after the Dobbs decision with or without federal funding. And sadly, the number of abortions is on the rise. If Planned Parenthood regains access to these federal taxpayer funds, they will undoubtedly facilitate even more abortions.

Planned Parenthood’s own reporting indicates that in the last full year before the funding prohibition took effect, the organization reported performing 435,450 abortions while receiving $832 million in taxpayer funding. At the same time, it continued to scale back other healthcare services. It is clear that abortion is not a peripheral service within this organization but is central to its business model.

For five decades, federal policy has reflected a consistent and bipartisan understanding on this issue. Measures like the Hyde Amendment have endured because it reflects a commonsense proposition that millions of pro-life Americans should not be forced to subsidize abortion.

Maintaining that principle is even more important today. Congress should exercise its authority once again to stop abortion providers from receiving tax dollars.

The ACLJ will keep fighting for the right to life. Stand with us by making your voice heard. Sign our petition: Defund Planned Parenthood Permanently.