Planned Parenthood has made headlines again — not for expanding services or even improving the lives of those it claims to serve in any measurable way. No, the giant abortion business is throwing a legal temper tantrum to maintain its taxpayer funding. In addition to Planned Parenthood’s ongoing lawsuit in Boston, now more than 20 Democratic attorneys general have sued to restore Planned Parenthood’s access to federal Medicaid reimbursements that were limited for a single year by the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Planned Parenthood’s response? Take the Trump Administration to court to keep Americans’ hard-earned money flowing into their bank account.
It’s a revealing moment. And it lays bare the truth: Planned Parenthood is not driven by a mission of mercy. It is driven by money.
In a contrast that couldn’t be more striking, life-affirming pregnancy centers across the country have served women for more than five decades, largely without taxpayer funding or even charging those women. These community-supported clinics provide a wide range of support: free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing, parenting classes, material assistance like diapers, formula, and clothing — all made possible through the generosity of local donors, churches, and volunteers. They don’t lobby for government money. Pregnancy centers don’t sue for taxpayer dollars; they simply serve.
(Of course, sometimes certain Democrat attorneys general drag these community-funded nonprofits into court for daring to speak a message of life to the women they serve at no cost.)
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood pretends it couldn’t survive a single month without public subsidies. The moment Congress passed a law cutting funding to large abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood’s, it ran straight to the courts. Not because patients were going without care, but because it cannot sustain its business model without your money — not even for one single month.
At least nine Planned Parenthood facilities have shuttered at the “mere threat” of Congress removing the corporation’s sticky fingers from the public coffers. Of course, the abortion giant had no trouble forking out $40 million on the 2024 election — overwhelmingly supporting Democrats (of course). How many women could it have served with $40 million? If Planned Parenthood is so concerned about “basic healthcare,” why did it spend tens of millions of dollars to buy political power — and prioritize abortion? Because when the money is on the line, the purported mission takes a backseat.
It’s a pattern: secure money from hardworking Americans, spend that money to secure more political allies, then leverage that power for lawsuits to get more money from the taxpayer. And around we go. Women’s health has always been the smoke screen. This has always been about Planned Parenthood’s bottom line.
If you dig deeper, Planned Parenthood’s story is even more sinister. According to a Charlotte Lozier Institute report earlier this year, “In 2022-23, 96.9% of the time, women seeking help related to their pregnancy at Planned Parenthood were sold an abortion rather than given prenatal care, provided care for a miscarriage, or helped to make an adoption plan.” Since 2013, total services have fallen by 10%, cancer screenings and prevention services by 54%, and prenatal services by 63%. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood’s 2023–24 annual report admits that its “excess of total revenue over total expenses is $27.4 million.”
Meanwhile, the life-affirming pregnancy help clinics that Planned Parenthood and others malign keep showing up for women day after day. They not only offer medical support, but also long-term care, mentorship, emotional encouragement, and practical aid. They do it all without buying politicians, without billing Medicaid, and without suing taxpayers.
If there were any doubt about who doesn’t put women first, this lawsuit should clear it up. Planned Parenthood prioritizes commerce. No matter what.
VETERANS AFFAIRS SUBMITS RULE PROPOSAL TO END ABORTIONS AT DEPARTMENT MEDICAL FACILITIES
It’s time to stop treating Planned Parenthood like a public good. The real public good — the real compassionate community care — happens in the quiet, everyday work of life-affirming clinics that have been doing more with less for decades. Planned Parenthood couldn’t last a month without your tax dollars. Pro-life clinics have lasted half a century without them.
That says everything.
Danielle M. White is General Counsel for Heartbeat International.