A federal appeals court has granted President Donald Trump's administration the right to prohibit abortion giant Planned Parenthood from receiving taxpayer-funded Medicaid payments, The Washington Times reported. The decision handed down Tuesday allows the provision found in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act to stand as it was passed in July.
Pro-life advocate and Live Action founder Lila Rose lauded this decision as another win for the protection of the unborn. "Breaking: The First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled to allow HHS to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood!" Rose posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
"Overturning lower court rulings that kept the money flowing. Taxpayers should never be forced to fund abortion chains which murder babies," she added.
BREAKING: The First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled to allow HHS to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood! Overturning lower court rulings that kept the money flowing. Taxpayers should never be forced to fund abortion chains which murder babies.
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 11, 2025
Trump's legislation was signed into law on July 4 this year and was almost immediately challenged by Planned Parenthood, Reuters reported. On July 28, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Boston, whom President Barack Obama appointed, blocked the provision on the basis that the law unfairly targeted Planned Parenthood with the intent to punish the abortion provider, which is unconstitutional.
Talwani claimed the provision amounted to a "bill of attainder," which means that the law was passed explicitly by Congress to punish a party without due process of a trial. "Plaintiffs are likely to establish that Congress singled them out with punitive intent," the judge said.
However, Trump's Department of Justice didn't see it that way but instead insisted "the bill stops federal subsidies for Big Abortion," which is something many Americans agree with. The DOJ further said it was incumbent upon Talwani not to allow Planned Parenthood to "supplant duly enacted legislation with their own policy preferences."
The judge disagreed, citing concerns about Planned Parenthood's Constitutional rights, including its First Amendment free association rights as well as its Fifth Amendment equal protection clause. This decision was described by White House spokesperson Harrison Fields as "not only absurd but illogical and incorrect" in a statement issued following the initial announcement.
In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Trump promised to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding so taxpayers would no longer have to foot the bill for its evil practices. J.D. Vance, who would become his vice president just weeks later after Trump's stunning electoral victory, stated in October 2024 that Trump was committed to rectifying this wrong, as reported by NBC News at the time.
“On the question of defunding Planned Parenthood, look, I mean our view is we don’t think that taxpayers should fund late-term abortions. That has been a consistent view of the Trump campaign the first time around," Vance said following Trump's return to Butler, Pennsylvania, to finish the rally where he was initially shot.
"It will remain a consistent view." Vance added. Although NBC News pointed out that just .9% of abortions occur after 21 weeks, the commitment meant a great deal to Trump's voters as evidenced by his Election Day victory. Of course, Planned Parenthood Votes executive director Jenny Lawson used the usual lines that this "would rob millions of people across the country of vital, affordable care."
Lawsom claimed in the usual shell game that taxpayer dollars fund other "healthcare" but not abortions. "'Defunding’ Planned Parenthood would only deepen and expand the public health crisis we’re already in thanks to Donald Trump, causing more people to suffer and die for lack of basic reproductive care," Lawson claimed.
The narrative is always that Planned Parenthood performs a tremendous public service by providing healthcare to poor women. Even if that were true, the fact that it also slaughters babies negates the right for the organization to receive a dime from taxpayers, and thankfully, the appeals court has agreed that Trump's plan to defund them is a go.
