Federal Judge Blocks New Law Defunding Planned Parenthood

A federal judge on Monday extended a block on a provision in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that aimed to strip Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood.

The ruling ensures continued taxpayer funding for the nation’s largest abortion company, prompting criticism from those who argue no public dollars should support organizations killing babies in abortions.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, partially granted Planned Parenthood’s request for a preliminary injunction, halting enforcement of the funding ban against Planned Parenthood. The decision follows a temporary restraining order issued July 7, which Talwani reaffirmed after initially providing no legal reasoning, a move that drew sharp rebuke from pro-life groups and Republican lawmakers.

The provision, part of the sweeping tax and spending bill signed by Trump on July 4, imposes a one-year ban on Medicaid payments to any company that kills babies in abortions and received over $800,000 in federal funding in 2023. While the legislation does not name Planned Parenthood explicitly, the organization argues it is the primary target, potentially forcing the closure of nearly 200 of its 600 centers nationwide. However, it could receive federal funding if it merely stop killing babies.

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Pro-life advocates condemned the ruling.

“An activist judge just prolonged the forced taxpayer funding of Big Abortion, a desperate attempt to run out the clock, and a shameful abuse of our tax dollars. Every day her decision remains in effect, millions are funneled into a business that profits from ending unborn lives and putting women at risk,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America. “Planned Parenthood’s desperate ploy for our tax dollars only underscores why the One Big Beautiful Bill is such a historic win. It halted, for the first time, over half a billion taxpayer dollars from propping up the corrupt abortion industry.”

“Life is winning. And Big Abortion’s death grip is slipping. With community health centers outnumbering Planned Parenthood facilities 15 to 1, women have better and more comprehensive alternatives. We look forward to the Trump Administration swiftly ending this lawfare and restoring the historic victory secured through the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Talwani’s order stated that Planned Parenthood was likely to succeed on its claim that the funding ban violates First Amendment.

“Instead of merely prohibiting Planned Parenthood Members that receive Medicaid funds from providing abortions, the statute prohibits them from affiliating with entities that do,” Talwani wrote. “The record is devoid of evidentiary support for Defendants’ suggestion that Planned Parenthood entities share funds that are ultimately used for abortions.”

Never mind that Planned Parenthood kills over 400,000 babies in abortion every year as its primary source of income apart from government funding.

Tom Jipping, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, called Talwani’s initial order “obviously out of bounds,” stating, “What you have here is Congress exercising its explicit constitutional authority to make spending decisions, and you have a district judge arguably trying to exercise power she doesn’t have to force Congress to change.”

The case, Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stems from a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and its Massachusetts and Utah affiliates on July 7. The injunction applies only to certain Planned Parenthood affiliates, leaving the door open for further legal action.

The case will almost certainly be appealed to a federal appeals court and ultimately the Supreme Court.

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