As America’s number-one abortion provider, Planned Parenthood does not deserve our taxpayer dollars. We should fund providers who truly prioritize the health and well-being of their patients.
President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), recently signed into law, bars Planned Parenthood (PPFA) from receiving Medicaid dollars for one year. Planned Parenthood previously received about $500 million every year through Medicaid.
Many pro-abortion activists claim that cutting funding to Planned Parenthood will substantially harm women by cutting off their access to necessary services. But in reality, its services harm women. Women who come to Planned Parenthood facing an unexpected pregnancy — or any kind of pregnancy, for that matter — are almost always offered an abortion. The only “help” PPFA provides to pregnant women is to kill their babies — not to help them address the root concerns or challenges to parenting.
By offering mainly abortion to women facing pregnancy, Planned Parenthood shows callous disregard for women’s health. Studies show that abortion often results in anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts for the women for years after.
Planned Parenthood also harms patients by being one of the nation’s largest providers of sterilizing cross-sex hormones. These hormones often result in permanent and irreversible damage to the patient’s physical and developmental health. Planned Parenthood even gives these drugs to minors. These hormones are a terrible option for those struggling with gender dysphoria.
Planned Parenthood additionally offers graphic sex education to the youth. Although spokespeople may claim that this type of education encourages teenagers to make rational decisions regarding their sexual desires, it instead discourages the values of abstinence and self-control. Planned Parenthood drives people, especially young people, to live sexually libertine lifestyles, where they don’t want to experience the consequences of their actions. This is one reason why Planned Parenthood constantly promotes abortion.
PPFA provides few services that actually benefit the health of Americans. It provides a limited number of cancer screenings and vaccines — usually only those that prevent sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, because the organization has become more obsessed with providing abortion and cross-sex hormones over recent years, its number of other services has declined. Its numbers of breast cancer screenings, Pap tests, and even contraceptive services have gone down over the previous fiscal year, but the number of abortions has gone up.
Planned Parenthood also rarely offers any services besides abortion for pregnant women. According to a study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, abortions made up 97.1% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services in its 2021–2022 fiscal year, compared to just 1.6% for prenatal care and 0.4% for adoption.
There are countless alternative health care services Americans can turn to — most notably Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). FQHCs are community-based health care organizations that qualify for funding under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act and for reimbursement from Medicaid. There are more than 13 times as many FQHCs nationally as Planned Parenthood centers. Americans do not need Planned Parenthood, as they can receive helpful services from FQHCs and numerous other health care providers instead.
Some pro-abortion activists argue that Planned Parenthood offers evidence-based services rooted in science. However, many of the services it provides directly contradict science. Science shows us that life begins at conception, when a zygote forms in the mother’s body with its own unique DNA. According to Human Life International, this living being develops a heartbeat by three to four weeks. The baby starts growing arms and legs between the fifth and eighth weeks, according to a babycenter.com article. A study from the Journal of Medical Ethics found that during the twelfth week of pregnancy, the baby can start feeling pain. Despite all this scientific evidence, Planned Parenthood conducts more abortions than any other abortion provider in the nation.
Some pro-abortion activists also say that Planned Parenthood saves women’s careers because they would have to quit their jobs if they do not have access to abortion. But having a child in no way bars women from being successful in their careers. In fact, many women have successful careers after having children. There are also always life-affirming alternatives to abortion, such as adoption.
According to a recent Life Leadership Conference poll, 60% of Americans now oppose federal taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of South Carolina’s decision to exclude Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program. The Court concluded that the “free choice of provider” provision governing Medicaid — long interpreted by lower federal courts as a rights-creating provision — does not amount to a substantive right that beneficiaries can sue for. This will better allow states to craft their programs in a way that truly serves people in a life-affirming manner.
The passage of the OBBB and the recent Supreme Court ruling have paved the way for defunding Planned Parenthood. Americans do not need PPFA and are opposed to giving this organization their hard earned tax dollars.
Image via Pxfuel.