Thousands of pro-life advocates took to the streets across the United States on Saturday, rallying in support of the Senate bill aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion company.
The coordinated demonstrations, organized by the pro-life group Live Action and other pro-life groups, spanned over 200 locations, from California to New York, as activists urged Congress to redirect taxpayer funds away from the organization.
The protests, dubbed “Defund Day,” saw demonstrators in states like Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, and California holding signs and banners with messages such as “Defund Planned Parenthood” and “Protect Life.” In Marietta, Georgia, protesters gathered outside a Planned Parenthood clinic, chanting, “This is not healthcare. This is murder,” according to posts shared on social media.
In Anaheim, California, Live Action founder Lila Rose led a rally, emphasizing the urgency of ending federal funding for the organization.
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The Senate bill, part of the broader “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” backed by President Donald Trump, includes a provision to bar Medicaid dollars from going to abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood. Pro-life advocates argue that taxpayer money should not support an organization that kills over 400,000 babies in abortions annually.
The demonstrations come on the heels of a Supreme Court decision on Thursday, which ruled 6-3 that states like South Carolina can block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds. The ruling, seen as a major victory for the pro-life movement, has emboldened activists who view the Senate bill as the next step in dismantling Planned Parenthood’s access to public funding.
Abortion Free New Mexico hosted a Defund Planned Parenthood protest on Saturday. Albuquerque, which has become ground zero for abortion tourism, hosted two demonstrations urging the U.S. Senate to defund Planned Parenthood. Over 100 concerned New Mexicans showed up throughout the course of the day including pro-life families with children.
The demonstrations throughout New Mexico were held in conjunction with thousands of other protests all across the country urging the U.S. Senate to pass President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” which has a provision in it to defund Planned Parenthood. According to Planned Parenthood, if this bill passes 200 of their locations face closure.
On Saturday, Senators voted 51 to 49 to advance the bill following Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming all voting to allow debate on the reconciliation measure.
Every Senate Democrat voted no after radical pro-abortion senator Chuck Schumer promised all pro-abortion Democrats would vote in lockstep.
Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voted no as well. They are pro-life but object to the bill over other fiscal concerns even though it would result in defunding Planned Parenthood for the first time ever. Senate Majority Leader John Thune reportedly worked with Vice President JD Vance for three hours to get these Republican lawmakers on board with opening debate.
Now the Senate will have 20 hours of debate followed by votes on potentially dozens of amendments to the measure and a motion by Schumer to read the entire bill. The budget reconciliation process allows a final majority vote on the bill – otherwise Democrats would filibuster the measure and block defunding Planned Parenthood.
On Friday, the Senate published updated text of the One Big Beautiful Bill after negotiations with the parliamentarian. The bill includes language to stop forced taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and Big Abortion for one year.
The good news is that Planned Parenthood defunding is retained in the final version of the bill, but the bad news is that the 10 year funding ban has been scaled back to just one year.
Still, one top pro-life leader told LifeNews that defunding America’s biggest abortion business for even one year is a massive pro-life victory never achieved before. As such, SBA Pro-Life President Marjorie Dannenfelser wants the Senate to pass the bill.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that stops forced taxpayer funding of the abortion industry has been retained in the Senate bill, as we were confident it would, though for one year. This is a huge win,” she said.
Dannenfelser added: “Taxpayers should never be forced to funnel their hard-earned dollars to Big Abortion. This funding currently hits almost $800 million annually. New polling shows Americans are horrified when they learn about the grossly negligent so-called ‘women’s health care’ offered by the abortion industry’s ringleader, Planned Parenthood, which is focused on abortions, transgender ‘treatments,’ politics and lawfare versus helping low-income patients. Women deserve real options, and with community health centers vastly more accessible and comprehensive, they have them.”
“SBA Pro-Life America will proudly score in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill that delivers on a critical priority: ending forced taxpayer funding of the abortion industry. We commend Leader Thune, who is a tremendous champion of life, Finance Committee Chairman Crapo, and their Senate GOP colleagues for their hard work through the reconciliation process. We will keep working with Congress and the administration to ensure Big Abortion continues to be excluded from taxpayer funding in future years. We urge the Senate and House to persevere to the finish line so President Trump can sign the One Big Beautiful Bill into law immediately.”
Reconciliation bills in 2015 and 2017 included a provision to stop funneling American tax dollars to Big Abortion for one year. The Supreme Court ruled this week in Medina that states are also allowed to defund Big Abortion. This year, Congress can finally stop funding for Big Abortion – an industry that harms women and girls, destroys unborn babies’ lives and is a terrible investment for taxpayers.
“We’re going to defund Planned Parenthood,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said in a June 25 interview with Tony Perkins. “This will be the biggest win for your pro-life listeners since the Dobbs decision. So, I’m very proud of the work we’ve done on this bill.”
According to Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report, the organization killed more than babies in 400,000 abortions in 2023 and 2024 and received nearly $800 million from taxpayers.
The Hyde Amendment already prohibits federal funds from directly paying for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life. However, Planned Parenthood receives approximately $700 million annually through Medicaid reimbursements and Title X grants. Pro-life leaders argue this funding frees up resources for Planned Parenthood’s abortion operations.
The bill, which passed the House 215-214, aims to strip federal funding from the nation’s largest abortion company, a move pro-life advocates hail as a critical step toward protecting unborn lives.
The House-passed bill, now under Senate consideration, includes language to prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds, including Medicaid payments, redirecting those resources to community health centers that do not kill babies.
However, the bill faces challenges in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 53-seat majority, allowing only three defections with Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote.
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Author: Steven Ertelt
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