On Tuesday, Live Action, one of the nation’s leading human rights organizations, led a coalition of pro-life organizations and leaders in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and members of the United States Senate calling for action to extend and strengthen the defunding of the abortion industry through the 2026 budget reconciliation process.
The letter highlights the historic 2025 budget reconciliation bill, which was signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, imposing a one-year prohibition on federal Medicaid funding for abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood. This marked the first major pro-life funding reform in over two decades, aligning with longstanding federal policy, including the Hyde Amendment, that taxpayer dollars should not subsidize abortion.
Since its enactment, the provision has driven the closure of multiple abortion facilities, protecting preborn children and easing the burden on taxpayers. Without congressional action, however, the defunding expires on July 4, 2026, allowing over $830 million annually in federal funds to resume back to Planned Parenthood and similar entities whose core activities include abortion promotion, cross sex hormones for minors, and sex education programs in schools.
The letter states:
“Congress’s funding decisions have also reflected longstanding concerns that many of the nation’s largest abortion businesses engage in activities that extend beyond traditional healthcare services. These include:
- Providing and promoting abortion as a core organizational activity, while lobbying for nationwide abortion until birth.
- Offering or referring for gender transition interventions, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, particularly for minors.
- Delivering sex education programs that promote inappropriate content to minors while denying parents meaningful transparency and oversight into what their children are being taught.”
The letter is signed by Live Action Founder and President, Lila Rose, alongside leaders from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Right to Life, March for Life Action, Students for Life Action, Human Coalition, Catholic Vote, American Association of Evangelicals (AAE), And Then There Were None, 15 state Right-to-Life organizations, medical professionals, and pro-life advocates.
In addition to this letter, Live Action continues to mobilize grassroots support and urges Americans to contact their members of Congress in pursuit of permanent protections against taxpayer-funded abortion.
