(Oregon Right to Life) — Oregon Right to Life joined hundreds of pro-life advocates and more than 150 pro-life organizations this week in urging the federal government to “Defund Big Abortion.”
On Thursday, over 300 people gathered at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to urge the Trump administration to cut all federal funding to “Big Abortion” in general and Planned Parenthood in particular. Planned Parenthood facilities are responsible for an average of 40% of U.S. abortions every year.
The large pro-life presence at the Capitol building follows a March 26 letter addressed to members of Congress and signed by more than 150 pro-life organizations representing all 50 states – including Oregon Right to Life – calling out the reported “unsafe conditions and botched abortions” at Planned Parenthood facilities and urging the “Republican trifecta” in the federal government to slash funding to the abortion giant.
It is “urgent to cut funding for this industry that endangers women and unborn children and spends tens of millions of dollars to promote woke policies and candidates,” the signers said, adding that Planned Parenthood’s political arm “pushes all-trimester abortions and promotes fearmongering lies that put women and girls at needless risk.”
In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood received almost $700 million in government funding, with federal grants and reimbursements from taxpayer dollars accounting for nearly 40% of total revenue.
In February, The New York Times reported that many Planned Parenthood facilities are currently “in dire financial straits with a critical lack of resources, which has compromised care…” Meanwhile, American Life League (ALL) reported this month that Planned Parenthood CEOs make an average of over $350,000 per year – roughly triple the average annual income of other nonprofit leaders – with one CEO making nearly $900,000 annually.
“In an era of reexamining federal funding, Congress should start by cutting funding for Big Abortion in the upcoming reconciliation bill,” the March 26 letter to Congress reads.
READ: Planned Parenthood CEOs’ Annual Salaries Over $350,000 – Three Times the National Average
In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser reiterated the central argument of the letter and argued it is “unconscionable” that Planned Parenthood continues to receive taxpayer funding.
“Abortion is the leading cause of death in America and for too long, hardworking Americans have been forced to underwrite it,” Dannenfelser said. “The pro-life movement is fully united around getting taxpayers out of the brutal abortion industry, which kills 1 million babies and harms countless mothers each year. It’s unconscionable that abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood are propped up by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.”
“Our 150-member-strong coalition representing every state in the country sends a clear message that the abortion industry never deserves our tax dollars and that this Republican Congress has both the support and the duty to defund Big Abortion,” she wrote.
Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life, similarly argued that taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll the abortion industry.
“The abortion industry giant, Planned Parenthood, brings in over $2 billion a year and spends millions on lobbying for unlimited abortion but receives over $700 million in taxpayer funds,” Tobias said. “The American people should not be forced to support a multi-billion-dollar industry that takes the lives of preborn children and reportedly provides substandard care for women. Women and their preborn babies deserve better than abortion.”
RELATED: Pro-Life Advocates Urge President Trump to Defund Planned Parenthood
As Oregon Right to Life previously highlighted, the federal Hyde Amendment currently prohibits the use of taxpayer money to pay for abortions. But Planned Parenthood qualifies for funding because it offers a small number of reproductive services or products, including STI testing and contraception, which it uses to secure clientele to direct toward abortion in the event of unplanned pregnancies. In the 2021-2022 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood performed 0% of the nation’s mammograms, 0.7% of all pap tests, and 0.05% of prenatal services – while performing over 40% of the nation’s abortions. According to the organization’s annual report, Planned Parenthood facilities performed approximately 392,715 abortions in 2022-2023. Abortions made up over 95% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services nationwide.
Meanwhile, a majority of Americans reportedly disagree with their taxpayer dollars being used to fund abortions.
As pro-life advocates continue to urge the Trump administration to end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, moves are already being made in that direction.
Last week, news broke that the Trump administration’s department of Health and Human Services planned to freeze tens of millions of dollars in “family planning” grants for Planned Parenthood affiliates and other organizations as officials investigate compliance with the Trump administration’s policies surrounding DEI initiatives.
