Defunding Works: Planned Parenthood Forced Into Layoffs Across Ohio

BREAKING: Across Ohio, Planned Parenthood affiliates are facing an existential crisis. A staggering $10 million annual loss in federal funding has forced Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio to implement layoffs. It seems clear from our vantage point: Our effort to defund Planned Parenthood is crippling its business model and forcing layoffs. You’ll find no tears at the ACLJ. Fewer abortion clinic staff means fewer abortions performed, and fewer abortions equals more babies saved.

Add your voice to our petition: Defund Planned Parenthood NOW.

The ACLJ has filed amicus briefs in two key taxpayer defunding cases, and now they are both headed to the First Circuit Court of Appeals – where we will file again in each. We are defending Congress’ constitutional authority to refuse funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. The biggest case, Planned Parenthood Federation ofAmerica v. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., represents far more than a dispute over government funding – it strikes at the heart of our constitutional separation of powers.

The decisions thus far from the judge have been outrageous. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts unleashed blatant judicial activism, handing Planned Parenthood a total victory by blocking Section 71113 of the “Big Beautiful Bill.” What began as a partial injunction protecting 25% of Planned Parenthood affiliates morphed into a sweeping order funneling taxpayer dollars to all Planned Parenthood clinics. This radical decision flies in the face of the constitutional power of Congress, which voted to end the abortion industry’s grip on federal Medicaid funding. We filed an initial amicus brief defending the unborn, and we are preparing to file our next brief in federal appeals court NEXT WEEK. The judge seems content stalling this process, slowing its path to a likely date at the Supreme Court.

The nationwide injunction we’re battling will absolutely impact Ohio – and every other state.

The second case, Maine Family Planning v. U.S. Health Department, is a companion case to the Planned Parenthood defunding case. The decision that came out on August 25, no doubt, must have the abortion industry concerned, which is why they have also appealed it to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Amid a year of rampant judicial activism, it’s refreshing to see a federal judge in this case who recognized his duty: to uphold the laws enacted by our democratic process – not twist or rewrite them to fit his personal agenda.

As reported by The New York Times:

A federal judge in Maine declined on Monday to block the government from stripping Medicaid funding from one of Maine’s largest abortion providers, finding that to do so would override “the will of the people as expressed by Congress.”

At issue is a provision of the tax and spending bill Congress passed in July that would deny abortion providers Medicaid funding even for health services other than performing abortions.

In a blunt, 19-page opinion, Judge Lance E. Walker of the Federal District Court in Maine wrote that, particularly after the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade, he could neither consider abortion services a constitutional right nor stop Congress from advancing laws to defund organizations that provide them.

“It would be a special kind of judicial hubris to declare that the public interest has been undermined by the public,” wrote Judge Walker, who was appointed by President Trump in his first term.

This decision is being appealed by Maine Family Planning, and we are preparing our amicus brief on appeal in that case as well.

This victory represents a crucial step toward ensuring that no American is forced to subsidize the destruction of innocent human life through their tax dollars. The battle continues to defund Planned Parenthood, as these cases are likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The news out of Ohio is massive. Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio has indicated that it’s not sure it “can survive.” We’re trying our best to make that reality come to fruition at the ACLJ, so that more unborn babies can survive.