Anti-Abortion Efforts Intensify

Introduction to the Issue

WASHINGTON (AP) — Major anti-abortion groups were gathering in the nation’s capital on Thursday to begin a lobbying effort with Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood ahead of the Supreme Court hearing a case in April that could strip the organization’s funding in South Carolina.

The Defund Planned Parenthood Initiative

The anti-abortion groups are taking aim at abortion providers under an initiative called Defund Planned Parenthood, which targets federal Medicaid funding for the reproductive health care provider. “This event begins an intensive round of outreach to the GOP, calling on them to take advantage of this unique moment to defund the abortion industry,” Students for Life, the national anti-abortion group organizing the event, said in a statement.

Background on Planned Parenthood Funding

The Hyde Amendment already restricts government funding for most abortions, and less than 5% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortions, according to the organization’s 2023 report. Planned Parenthood also provides other forms of reproductive health care, including contraception, treatment for sexually transmitted infections and cancer screenings, often for low-income patients.

Response from Planned Parenthood

Vicki Ringer, Planned Parenthood’s South Carolina director of public affairs, said claims that Planned Parenthood uses Medicaid funding for abortion is “an attempt to mislead the public” and emphasized Planned Parenthood’s role in providing broader reproductive health care. “We should be expanding health care to low-income people rather than trying to kick off these people who rely on us for health care,” Ringer said.

Momentum Behind the Movement

Rachel Rebouche, dean of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia, said the Defund Planned Parenthood movement has been building for 10 years but has gained momentum as the anti-abortion movement has been emboldened by Trump’s presidential victory and by his fellow Republicans winning control of Congress in November. “We’re seeing more enthusiasm in states like South Carolina and others to close down Planned Parenthood under the banner of stopping abortions, which their laws already do,” she said.

Legal Developments

The Supreme Court announced it would hear a case involving South Carolina’s attempt to strip Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. Experts say the lawsuit could prompt similar efforts in conservative states across the country to chip away at the organization’s funding. Almost 100 conservative members of Congress signed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to side with South Carolina. The state already bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they’re pregnant.

Recent Court Rulings

In February, a panel of judges in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling that attempted to force Planned Parenthood to repay millions of dollars of Medicaid funding in Texas and Louisiana.

Potential Consequences

If the Supreme Court sides with South Carolina, Rebouche said, there may be a wider impact on health care by “giving states broad power to exclude health care that is unpopular or politically disfavored,” such as contraception. Targeting Planned Parenthood might also have a negative effect on maternal and infant mortality rates and could cost more money in the long run by cutting off low-income patients from vital preventive reproductive health care, she said.

Economic Implications

During a 2015 push to strip Planned Parenthood funding, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that doing so would cost the government $130 million over 10 years.

Alternative Strategies

Meanwhile, lawmakers in at least three states — Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina — have introduced bills this year aiming to create tax breaks for anti-abortion centers.

Trump Administration’s Stance

The strategies come during a time when abortion rights advocates are warning that Trump and his Cabinet hold significant power to restrict medication abortion access nationwide. Rather than immediately heeding calls from anti-abortion allies to restrict Medicaid funding for clinics that provide abortions, Trump has made quieter moves after waffling on the issue on the campaign trail.

Actions by the Trump Administration

Trump reinstated a policy that requires foreign nongovernmental agencies to certify that they don’t provide or promote abortion if they receive U.S. aid for family planning assistance. He also pardoned several anti-abortion activists convicted of blockading abortion clinics and used wording related to fetal personhood in an executive order rolling back protections for transgender people.

Cabinet Appointments

The Republican president has appointed abortion opponents in some key Cabinet positions that could affect the availability of medication abortion and contraception, Medicaid coverage for family planning services, collection of abortion-related data and abortion access for troops and veterans.

Potential Future Actions

Advocates on either side of the abortion debate are waiting to see if Trump’s Department of Justice will revive the Comstock Act, a 19th-century obscenity law, to restrict the mailing of medication abortion or other materials used for abortions. Attorney General Pam Bondi has a history of defending abortion restrictions, and her confirmation was celebrated by abortion opponents.

Conclusion

The effort to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding is a complex issue with deepening political and social implications. As the Supreme Court prepares to hear the case involving South Carolina’s attempt to strip Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation watches with anticipation, aware that the decision could have far-reaching consequences for reproductive health care across the United States.

FAQs

• Q: What is the Defund Planned Parenthood initiative about?
  • A: It is an effort by anti-abortion groups to eliminate federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, targeting the organization’s role in providing abortion services.
• Q: What percentage of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortions?
  • A: Less than 5%, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2023 report.
• Q: What is the Hyde Amendment?
  • A: A law that restricts government funding for most abortions.
• Q: What could be the impact of the Supreme Court siding with South Carolina?
  • A: It could give states broad power to exclude health care that is unpopular or politically disfavored and negatively affect maternal and infant mortality rates.
• Q: How has the Trump administration approached the issue of abortion?
  • A: With quieter moves, including reinstating a policy requiring foreign NGOs to certify they don’t provide or promote abortion to receive U.S. aid and appointing abortion opponents to key Cabinet positions.

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO, Associated Press

Originally Published: March 27, 2025 at 7:43 AM EDT