Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, performed a staggering 402,230 abortions in the 2022-2023 fiscal year—averaging 1,102 daily—while simultaneously receiving nearly $800 million in taxpayer funding and expanding into controversial gender transition services for minors.
Key Takeaways
- Planned Parenthood received $792.2 million in taxpayer funding while reporting $2.03 billion in total revenue for the 2023-24 fiscal year
- The organization performed over 402,000 abortions in 2022-23 and has become the second-largest provider of hormone therapy in the U.S., with nearly 450 clinics offering transgender services
- Conservative groups are pushing Congress to defund Planned Parenthood through the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s reconciliation bill
- Undercover investigations claim Planned Parenthood prescribes cross-sex hormones to minors via virtual appointments with minimal screening
- Democrat lawmakers strongly oppose defunding efforts, characterizing them as attacks on reproductive healthcare and women’s rights
Taxpayer Dollars Supporting Abortion and Gender Transitions
The push to defund Planned Parenthood has gained significant momentum as conservatives highlight the organization’s dual role as America’s leading abortion provider and a growing provider of gender transition services. According to multiple reports, Planned Parenthood received approximately $792.2 million in taxpayer funding during the 2023-24 fiscal year, contributing to its massive $2.03 billion total revenue. This substantial government support continues despite the organization’s controversial services, including performing over 402,000 abortions annually and providing cross-sex hormones to minors with allegedly minimal screening.
Advancing American Freedom, a conservative think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, is leading efforts to redirect these funds to healthcare providers offering broader services. “Congress can defund Planned Parenthood NOW—but Republicans are dragging their feet,” the organization wrote in a memo. “Planned Parenthood is the leading abortion provider in America and increasingly a leader in ‘transitioning’ children,” stated Advancing American Freedom.
Legislative Battle Over Funding
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s reconciliation bill now contains language specifically targeting organizations involved in transgender medical interventions for minors, directly implicating Planned Parenthood. This legislative push represents a coordinated effort by conservatives to address what they view as harmful practices financed by taxpayer dollars. While Planned Parenthood defends its government funding as reimbursement for legitimate healthcare services, critics argue that money is fungible, allowing the organization to expand controversial practices while receiving public support.
“Like any other health care provider, Planned Parenthood affiliates are reimbursed for services their health centers provide to patients who rely on public health programs like Medicaid,” the abortion giant said on its website. “It doesn’t get a blank check from the government.”
An undercover investigation by Live Action claims to have discovered that Planned Parenthood prescribes cross-sex hormones to minors with minimal screening through virtual appointments. The organization is now reportedly the second-largest provider of hormone therapy in the United States, with approximately 450 clinics offering transgender services. This expansion into gender transition care has strengthened conservatives’ resolve to redirect taxpayer funding to healthcare providers that don’t offer these controversial services.
Democrats Fight Back Against Defunding Efforts
Massachusetts Democrats have mounted a fierce opposition to the GOP’s defunding efforts, framing the debate as an attack on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights. During a press conference coinciding with the third anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Whip Katherine Clark, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Lori Trahan condemned the proposed cuts, characterizing them as a “backdoor abortion ban.” They emphasized that defunding Planned Parenthood would disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, particularly in underserved communities.
“As we mark three years since the devastating day the Supreme Court denied us our bodily autonomy and ripped away the basic right to abortion care in America, we recommit to fighting for families across this country to access the basic medical care they need to survive, to be safe in birth, to be treated with human dignity,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
Senator Warren escalated the rhetoric, directly attributing recent reproductive healthcare challenges to the Supreme Court and linking them to the current legislative battle: “Since Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen a new form of hell at every turn. Now, Republicans in Congress are on track to pass a bill that amounts to a backdoor ban on abortion, even in states where it’s protected. Republicans’ bill to cut Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood is a one-two punch to women across the country, and we are not going to let them get away with it.”
Economic and Moral Arguments for Defunding
Beyond the moral arguments, conservatives point to economic considerations for redirecting Planned Parenthood’s funding. A report by Senator Mike Lee and the Joint Economic Committee claims that abortions cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars annually in lost potential productivity and human capital. Additionally, critics note that Planned Parenthood has used some of its substantial resources to influence election outcomes, raising questions about the appropriate use of organizations receiving government funding.
The debate ultimately centers on whether taxpayers should fund an organization that performs hundreds of thousands of abortions annually while expanding into controversial gender transition services. With Planned Parenthood’s dual role as both the nation’s largest abortion provider and a growing supplier of hormone therapies for gender transitions, the fight over its government funding has become a focal point in the broader cultural and political battles shaping America. As Congress continues to consider the reconciliation bill, the outcome will have significant implications for healthcare funding priorities under President Trump’s administration.
