Defunding Planned Parenthood – Where it Stands and What it Means

By Amy Gehrke, Chief Impact Officer

There has been a lot of chatter on social media the past few weeks about the U.S. House of Representatives voting to defund Planned Parenthood. How did they do this? What does it mean? And what could the future hold for the abortion giant?

On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1), a sweeping legislative package that includes significant provisions affecting Planned Parenthood. The bill, passed by a 215–214 vote, aims to reshape federal funding allocations, particularly targeting organizations that provide abortions.

Within the extensive 1,116-page bill, specific clauses are dedicated to altering Medicaid funding structures. Notably, the bill prohibits Medicaid reimbursements to any nonprofit organization that offers abortion services, directly impacting Planned Parenthood. 

The bill’s provisions also freeze Title X family planning funds, again directly impacting Planned Parenthood. Title X provides federal funding for family planning and related health services, primarily for low-income and uninsured individuals.  By law, Title X funds cannot be used to pay for abortions. Some Title X recipients, primarily Planned Parenthood, offer abortions through separate funding streams within the same facilities. There is no doubt that Title X funds aid in Planned Parenthood’s ultimate mission: abortion.

Some estimate that changes in Medicaid and Title X funding could lead to the closure of nearly 200 Planned Parenthood clinics, predominantly in states where abortion remains legal. Predictably, abortion advocates are decrying these measures, claiming that women will lose access to “vital health care". This isn’t quite true, though. 

What is the truth?

While Planned Parenthood is often defended as an essential health care provider, particularly for underserved populations, a closer look at the broader health care landscape raises questions. The vast network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) makes Planned Parenthood’s claim spurious, at best.

There are over 12,000 FQHC sites across the United States, compared to fewer than 600 Planned Parenthood facilities. FQHCs serve low-income and uninsured patients regardless of their ability to pay, and they are present in both urban and rural areas, often in places where Planned Parenthood does not operate. Many communities that have never had a Planned Parenthood facility have long been served by an FQHC.

Unlike Planned Parenthood, which focuses primarily on abortion, FQHCs offer a full spectrum of primary care services, including:

• Chronic disease management
  
  

• Prenatal and postnatal care
  
  

• Pediatrics
  
  

• Mental health care
  
  

• Dental care
  
  

• Substance abuse treatment
  
  

This makes FQHCs much better equipped to provide holistic, long-term care to patients of all ages and backgrounds. FQHCs do not provide abortions.

While Planned Parenthood often positions itself as a crucial provider of women’s health care, its own reports show that abortion makes up a significant and growing portion of its services and revenue. At the same time, services like cancer screenings and prenatal care have been steadily declining over the past decade. In contrast, FQHCs deliver more than double the number of cervical cancer screenings and more than 500,000 mammograms annually, services Planned Parenthood has essentially phased out.

In addition, as we have detailed in this blog, Planned Parenthood facilities are often dangerous and operate outside the law. Just this year, a young woman died following an abortion at a Colorado Planned Parenthood.

So what’s next for the “Big Beautiful Bill” and, with it, Planned Parenthood’s funding?

While the bill has passed the House, it now moves to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. Some left-leaning Republican senators have expressed reservations about the defunding provisions, citing concerns over reduced access to “essential health services” for low-income patients.

These reservations are completely unfounded. Planned Parenthood is not the only, or even the best, option for accessible health care. Federally funded health clinics are more numerous, more comprehensive, and more accountable, making them a superior alternative for meeting the real health needs of underserved communities, without forcing taxpayers to fund the nation’s largest abortion provider.