The FIVE Ways We’ve Helped Defund Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood remains a giant taxpayer-funded abortion monstrosity. But in the last few years, we’ve worked with the Trump Administration to help put a dent in the armor of the largest abortion provider in America.

There have been a number of ways that the Trump Administration has taken steps toward defunding Planned Parenthood, and here are the five biggest ways we’ve helped do just that.

New Rule to Block Title X Funds

When the Trump Administration announced a proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule that would cut taxpayer funding for abortion clinics – including Planned Parenthood – the ACLJ was quick to file public legal comments in support of this move. We also asked ACLJ members to submit their own comments supporting the adoption of the new rule, which you did in droves. Our members submitted over 1,300 individual comments, accounting for more than 10% of the total comments HHS received.

As we told you at the time, the express language of Title X made it crystal clear that Planned Parenthood was forbidden from receiving any of those funds, as it stated: “None of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.”

Yet somehow the abortion giant had been exploiting loopholes to get its hands on approximately $60 million of that taxpayer funding every year. In fact, Planned Parenthood accounts for as much as 41% of the services funded by Title X. The new rule has closed those loopholes. At the ACLJ, we filed numerous amicus briefs to ensure that this critical defunding effort would be upheld in court.

Reinstated and Expanded Mexico City Policy – Cutting Off International Abortion Funding

Early in his term, we reported that President Trump made a key move to stop U.S. tax dollars from being funneled overseas to pay for abortions. He did so by reinstating President Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City Policy – something we have specifically advocated.

This policy, which prohibits U.S. foreign aid to any organizations that fund or promote abortions around the world, was repealed under the Obama Administration. At the time, the ACLJ released a comprehensive legal memo explaining why this was morally wrong and an affront to American taxpayers. Americans shouldn’t have to pay for abortions here at home, let alone in foreign countries. Thankfully, President Trump agreed and not only reinstated the Mexico City Policy, but actually expanded it.

Defunded the United Nations Population Fund

Early on, the Trump Administration also cut funding to the United Nations Population Fund, formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), citing its connections to China’s past barbaric population control policies, which favored state-sponsored abortions.

As we pointed out in our legal memo, the United States’ official policy stated:

With regard to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the U.S. will insist that no part of its contribution be used for abortion. The U.S. will also call for concrete assurances that the UNFPA is not engaged in, or does not provide funding for, abortion or coercive family planning programs; if such assurances are not forthcoming, the U.S. will redirect the amount of its contribution to other, non-UNFPA, family planning programs.

And again, as reported, President Trump agreed:

For many years, links have been exposed between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and China’s one-child policy . . . . [T]he U.S. State Department sent a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee announcing its plans to stop funding UNFPA because of its support of forced and coerced abortions and sterilizations in China.

Denied Abortionists From Receiving Coronavirus Relief Funds

Earlier this year, when COVID-19 forced the United States into a lockdown to prevent the spread of the dangerous virus, many Americans were unable to work and provide for their families.

Congress allotted $2.4 trillion in aid money for Americans through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The plan included some $349 billion for small businesses. But amid concerns as to what types of businesses and organizations might have access to that money, the Trump Administration acted to ensure that Planned Parenthood (which through its affiliates has more than 500 employees nationwide) would have no claim to those funds.

The Trump administration has acted to ensure that no funds from the new Paycheck Protection Program, set up to assist small businesses battered by COVID-19, will go to Planned Parenthood.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring Paycheck Protection Program money is used for saving jobs at small businesses, not getting the government into the business of funding abortion,” a senior administration official told The Daily Signal. “[T]here is broad bipartisan support for the idea that American taxpayers should not have to fund abortion.”

There was good reason to be concerned. We told you how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempted to slip a BILLION DOLLARS of abortion funding into the original Coronavirus relief package. She counted on public fear and confusion to act as a smokescreen for her to funnel more funding to her friends at Planned Parenthood. As we told you, with your help, our legal and Government Affairs teams aggressively advocated to get the abortion language stripped out.

[W]e reacted quickly, mobilizing our members through our radio program, social media, and digital platforms. More than 100,000 of our members quickly signed a petition demanding that the abortion-funding language be removed from the bill. Abortion has no place in addressing the Coronavirus crisis. As a result, we were able to force their hand and have the language removed.

Demanded Wrongfully Obtained Coronavirus Relief Funds Be Returned

Despite the protections put in place to stop the abortion giant from getting at that stimulus money, as we reported, Planned Parenthood affiliates managed to obtain around $80 million.

This time, it is being revealed that at least 37 of Planned Parenthood’s 49 affiliates unlawfully obtained a total of approximately $80 million from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – taxpayer funds that were meant to go to small businesses as part of the CARES Act. This Coronavirus relief package specifically included language preventing Planned Parenthood and its regional affiliates from obtaining a single dime of these funds.

According to reports:

Now, the Trump administration is demanding Planned Parenthood return the funds, and it may file criminal charges against employees of the abortion giant if they lied on the applications. Some affiliates have returned the funds, while others have refused.

It’s shocking that Planned Parenthood lacks any compunction about taking money that doesn’t belong to it, at the expense of struggling American taxpayers. We won’t let them get away with it. As we informed you, the ACLJ immediately filed a FOIA request to find out how Planned Parenthood inappropriately applied for and unlawfully obtained Coronavirus aid, and whether it committed fraud or other illegal acts.

Despite Planned Parenthood’s continued attempts to skirt the law, President Trump has made good on his promise to defund the ghoulish organization, and has done more to protect innocent unborn babies than any recent Administration.

The ACLJ will continue to fight to save lives and support pro-life legislation. We will continue to battle in courts nationwide to ensure that nothing will undo all the work for life that’s been done in the last few years.