Pro-life advocates call on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood

Hundreds of pro-life advocates met with members of Congress Thursday to urge officials to freeze the use of federal tax dollars to the country’s largest abortion provider, according to the nonprofit Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. More than 150 national and state organizations on Wednesday sent a letter to lawmakers demanding the federal government cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

The abortion provider received nearly $700 million in federal funding during the 2022-23 fiscal year, which accounted for more than a third of its overall revenue, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute. While the organization does provide other services such as testing for sexually transmitted diseases, abortions made up more than 97% of its services in 2021-22, the institute said. Federal law prohibits the use of federal funds for most abortions, but abortion centers can receive money if it is spent on other services.

Also on Thursday, the organization Students for Life of America launched a weeklong advocacy event called Life Chain. Beginning in Washington, D.C., the group displayed 1,076 pink crosses to represent the approximate number of abortions Planned Parenthood completes per day. The organization is scheduled to hold more than 100 events in 33 states over the next few days.

What has the Trump administration said about the funding? In a Tuesday story, The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering freezing about $120 million in federal grant funding for family planning services. The move would include about $20 million earmarked for Planned Parenthood. While the administration has not publicly confirmed the reports, a Health and Human Services spokesman told the Journal it was reviewing contracts to make sure they align with President Trump’s executive order to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Democratic lawmakers were quick to criticize the proposal. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., and Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., said they would fight to stop cuts to family planning grants.

Is Planned Parenthood facing any other potential threats? The U.S. Supreme Court next month is set to hear a case that could cut funding to the abortion provider in South Carolina. The state has argued that Medicaid funding should not be given to Planned Parenthood because it is intended to assist low-income individuals, not to benefit abortionists. While the organization said federal law prohibits states from weighing in on a patient's ability to choose family planning providers, more than a dozen18 other states have voiced support for South Carolina’s position.

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood the organization last week said it was planning to sell its Manhattan facility due to rising inflation and stagnant reimbursement rates. The abortion provider has owned the building for about three decades and pro-life advocates told Catholic News Agency that its closure was an answer to prayer.

Dig deeper: Read Katelyn Walls Shelton’s opinion piece about the Trump administration considering reducing tax dollars for Planned Parenthood.