Court Clears Way for Trump to Defund Planned Parenthood

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Above: Planned Parenthood’s closest abortion facility to Arkansas, located in Southeast Kansas.

On December 12, a federal appeals court handed the pro-life movement a major victory. The court ruled that the Trump administration can strip Planned Parenthood of its Medicaid funding.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s injunction that had blocked a key provision in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” preventing taxpayer dollars from going to abortionists through Medicaid. The provision effectively defunds Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business.

Planned Parenthood had argued the law violated their constitutional rights, but the court said Congress is free to decide how to spend taxpayer dollars.

Judge Gelpí explained that the law doesn’t punish Planned Parenthood for past actions. Instead, it simply gives them a choice: Stop doing abortions and keep getting taxpayer money, or keep aborting unborn children and lose the funding.

Planned Parenthood has claimed the funding cut could force them to close as many as 200 facilities.

In Arkansas, abortion is generally prohibited except to save the life of the mother, and the state cut ties with abortionists like Planned Parenthood many years ago.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states are not required to fund abortionists, and the Arkansas Legislature and the governor have both blocked Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving public tax dollars.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains still operates facilities in Little Rock and Rogers, but neither one performs abortions.

However, reports also show Planned Parenthood may be spending millions of dollars to help women cross state lines for abortion, and news outlets have highlighted how pro-abortion states are protecting abortionists who ship abortion drugs across the country. Those are serious concerns.

But the court ruling is still good news for Arkansas. It shows that Congress has the power to direct taxpayer funding away from abortionists, and it helps underscore that Arkansas lawmakers were right to defund Planned Parenthood.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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South Dakota Officials Investigate Out-of-State Abortion Pill Ads

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News outlets say a national pro-abortion group is placing ads for abortion pills at gas stations in South Dakota, prompting state officials to launch an investigation into whether the ads violate state laws.

The ads from Mayday Health ask “Pregnant? Don’t want to be?” and direct women to a website that helps them order abortion pills through the mail.

The New York-based abortion group reportedly placed the ads at 30 gas stations for a six-week campaign, specifically targeting states with strong pro-life protections.

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden asked Attorney General Marty Jackley to investigate whether the campaign violates the state’s abortion ban and constitutes deceptive trade practices.

This isn’t the first time Mayday Health has targeted pro-life states. In July, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sent a cease-and-desist letter to the group after it promoted abortion pills in Arkansas.

Since 2022, Arkansas has generally prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother, and state law prohibits abortion drugs from being delivered or distributed in the state. However, pro-abortion states are protecting abortionists who ship abortion drugs across the country.

Attorney General Griffin has said entities in these states are deliberately targeting women in pro-life states like Arkansas.

Abortion drugs carry significant health risks for women — including risks of sepsis and death.

A recent study by the experts at the Ethics and Public Policy Center found the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol are at least 22 times more dangerous than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeling indicates.

Researchers noted that from 2017 to 2023, nearly one in nine women suffered serious health complications like sepsis, infection, and hemorrhaging as a direct result of abortion drugs.

All of this has prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to launch a formal investigation into the drugs and their safety.

Abortion drugs end the lives of unborn children, and they hurt women. They simply should not be for sale in America.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Ohio House Passes Pro-Life “Baby Olivia” Bill Similar to Arkansas Measure

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On November 19, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill that would help educate public school students about unborn children.

Ohio House Bill 485, The Baby Olivia Act, makes it possible for public school students to see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound video as well as Live Action’s computer-animated “Meet Baby Olivia” video that teaches about human development from conception to birth.

Ohio’s bill is nearly identical to legislation proposed and passed in Arkansas earlier this year.

H.B. 1180, The Baby Olivia Act, by Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) would have let public school students in Arkansas see an ultrasound recording and watch the Baby Olivia video as part of sex education and human development courses.

Arkansas’ Baby Olivia Act passed with overwhelming support in the Arkansas House, but it failed repeatedly in the Senate Education Committee.

Fortunately, the Arkansas Legislature did eventually pass S.B. 450 by Sen. Breanne Davis (R — Russellville) and Rep. Kendra Moore (R — Lincoln). The law does not reference the Baby Olivia video, but it does let public school students see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound and learn important facts about how unborn children develop in the womb.

Ultrasound images help demonstrate that unborn children are human beings.

Very few medical advancements have done more to change hearts and minds on abortion than ultrasound technology. In fact, research has shown that some women are less likely to have an abortion if they see an ultrasound image of their unborn child.

With that in mind, it’s good for states like Arkansas to pass laws teaching students about unborn children.

Below is the “Meet Baby Olivia” video by Live Action that Ohio House Bill 485 would let public schools show to students.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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