[1]NASHVILLE (BP) – The expiration of a one-year provision in the Big Beautiful Bill that defunded Planned Parenthood has pro-life groups and supporters questioning whether their voices are still being heard in defense of the unborn.
President Donald Trump’s reconciliation bill that was signed on July 4, 2025, brought celebration [2] among those who had worked for years to prevent federal funding to the nation’s leading abortion provider, even if the stipulation was for only one year. However, Planned Parenthood now stands to receive more than $800 million annually.
Those funds come through Medicaid and are specified for non-abortive services. Pro-life leaders, though, argue that they nonetheless bolster Planned Parenthood’s finances and thereby its capability to provide abortions.
“Last summer, the pro-life movement celebrated a historic milestone: the first federal defunding of Planned Parenthood and other large abortion providers,” said Evan Lenow, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “We celebrate the impact this one-year provision had on the lives that were saved and the abortion clinics that permanently closed their doors, but we grieve that its expiration means that Planned Parenthood can now, once again, receive federal reimbursements under Medicaid.”
In numerous meetings he took part in last week in Washington, D.C., Lenow said, he urged lawmakers to take actions that strip “federal funding entirely” from Planned Parenthood and other large abortion providers.
“This includes finding legislative pathways in Congress to renew the now-expired defund provision, while also calling upon the White House to protect life through executive branch action,” he said. “We have urged the Trump administration, in particular, to not delay in reinstating the Protect Life Rule, a commonsense regulation that would prevent abortion providers from receiving federal dollars under the Title X Family Planning Program.”
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) called on those from his own party to action.
“Is this Congress, a Republican Congress, going to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to the worst, most notorious abortion provider in the United States of America?” asked Hawley, speaking July 16 on Capitol Hill in a press conference. “… There is no excuse, none, for Planned Parenthood to be receiving taxpayer money to be carrying out the murder of the innocent unborn.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson has not directly addressed the issue when asked.
“I come from the pro-life movement. Everybody knows where my resolve is,” Johnson told [3] the Washington Examiner. “We’re going to get the job done as soon as we can.”
It’s hard to argue that the upcoming midterms don’t factor into Republican reticence. Eighteen congressional seats are considered toss-ups. [4] Fourteen belong to Republicans.
“I don’t think Planned Parenthood should receive federal funds, but it’s very challenging,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) in late June. “We’re so close to 50-50 in both chambers to get everything we, on my side of the aisle, that we want as Republicans.”
Both Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) also expressed support for another defunding measure, but were doubtful.
Regardless of renewed funding, last year’s bill has factored in nearly 60 [5] Planned Parenthood clinics closing. But that doesn’t mean the issue has been settled, Lenow asserted.
“How we spend our money shows what we value as a nation,” he said. “Southern Baptists stand on the truth that innocent preborn lives have innate, immutable value conferred to them by God and they deserve protection from the predatory abortion industry. This conviction compels us to call upon our officials to ensure federal dollars are not flowing into the hands of organizations like Planned Parenthood.”
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