Momentum has decidedly shifted in the effort to defund tax dollars from the killing of the unborn – and it’s long overdue. Planned Parenthood’s 2022–23 financials, the most recent filings, point to a very wealthy organization. Revenue from government sources made up nearly $700 million of its total revenue of $2.1 billion. Without government intervention, Planned Parenthood would be a shell of itself.
A correction of this unconscionable fact is in view. In accordance with his intent with the formation of DOGE, President Trump has indicated that he is prepared to sign an executive order to defund Planned Parenthood and yank tens of millions in taxpayer funds from the abortion industry. This would follow up on his previous move of reinstating the end of federal funding of abortion overseas (otherwise known as the Mexico City Policy), which has already removed more than $100 million from Planned Parenthood’s clutches internationally.
Accordingly, in tandem with these efforts, the ACLJ has ramped up its efforts to defund the abortion industry of taxpayer funding as well. Our multi-case effort attacks this issue from different angles, but the end goal is the same – to eradicate the ability of the abortion industry to tap into our tax dollars.
In February, we filed a crucial amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, potentially our most significant abortion case since we assisted in overturning Roe.
As we wrote previously, this case was filed after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued Executive Order No. 2017-15 instructing the South Carolina Department of Health & Human Services to declare abortion clinics unqualified to operate as medical providers under the Medicaid Act. This designation is essential for Planned Parenthood to receive taxpayer funding, which it uses to support its entire operation, including abortion services.
The Governor’s order states in part:
"I hereby direct all State agencies to take any and all necessary actions, as detailed herein and to the extent permitted by law, to cease providing State or local funds, whether via grant, contract, state-administered federal funds, or any other form, to any physician or professional medical practice affiliated with an abortion clinic and operating concurrently with and in the same physical, geographic location or footprint as an abortion clinic."
Arguments are being made on April 2, with the Court expected to issue a decision by June. This could be the landmark victory in the battle to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.
The ACLJ also recently filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to take a bold stand against a coordinated legal assault on presidential authority and for the protection of innocent human life. Blue states, spearheaded by New York, have filed a groundless lawsuit challenging President Trump’s effort to enforce the Hyde Amendment and to ensure the responsible use of taxpayer funds.
In January 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14182, “Enforcing the Hyde Amendment,” to put a stop to the previous administration’s intentional and systematic violation of this vital pro-life safeguard. For years, the Biden administration openly bypassed the Hyde Amendment, embedding forced taxpayer funding for elective abortions across numerous federal programs.
The Left’s legal strategy is legal cowardice that is misleading and desperate. It targets a rescinded OMB memo instead of directly challenging President Trump’s valid executive orders. The memo simply instructed federal agencies to pause certain funding programs for review to ensure compliance with the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding for abortions. The pause applied only to programs affected by the Executive orders and within legal limits. The lawsuit is improper because the memo has been rescinded, rendering the case moot. Furthermore, the memo wasn’t a final agency action, as it only directed a review, and the district court’s ruling overreached by blocking executive orders that were never challenged.
And last week our sister organization, ACLJ Action, joined a coalition of 150 conservative groups, with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America leading the charge, in signing an important letter urging Congress to cut funding for abortion through budget reconciliation.
“In November, the American people gave a mandate – it is time for change in Washington,” the letter states. It’s time to “cut government waste,” including from the abortion industry and especially from abortion giant Planned Parenthood.
The letter continues:
"Planned Parenthood reports raking in a total of $699.3 million, or almost $2 million per day, from American taxpayers in 2023 alone. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report boasted that they performed nearly 393,000 abortions – a 40% market share of the abortion industry in the U.S. [...]
"Women and children deserve better care. In an era of reexamining federal funding, Congress should start by cutting funding for Big Abortion in the upcoming reconciliation bill."
Our efforts to finally end the flow of public funding for abortion and to devastate Planned Parenthood need your support. The billions they have received to subsidize the murder of babies on the taxpayers’ dime must end. Add your name to Defund and Defeat Planned Parenthood at the Supreme Court.
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