Yesterday, I joined around 300 pro-life advocates in Washington, D.C., to meet with members of congress and send a powerful message. Our mission was clear: urge Congress to defund big abortion.
Throughout the day, I met with staff from the offices of Senator Mike Lee, Senator John Cornyn, Congressman Brandon Gill, and Congressman Brian Babin. In each meeting, I emphasized the importance of this unified effort from the pro-life movement and the need for immediate action.
During our time on Capitol Hill, every office we visited received a letter signed by over 150 pro-life leaders from across the country representing all 50 states. The message was clear: Americans should not be forced to fund abortion, and Congress must act now.
The Cost of Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
Every year, the abortion industry receives hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, largely through Medicaid. Planned Parenthood alone takes in about $700 million annually—roughly $2 million every single day. In 2023, the organization performed nearly 400,000 abortions. In this most recent election cycle, they spent $70 million backing pro-abortion candidates and legislation.
A Rare Opportunity to Defund Planned Parenthood
Normally, defunding the abortion industry would be a near impossibility due to the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes for most legislation. However, Congress now has a unique opportunity through budget reconciliation, which only requires a simple majority to pass. With Republican control of the House, Senate, and Oval Office a new day has dawned. This provides a path to finally stop taxpayer funding for abortionists.
A Crucial Moment for LIFE
Thankfully, the offices that I spoke with appear to be on board with our mission, though to be successful we will need the support of every pro-life legislator we can get. Both in 2015 and in 2017 reconciliation bills were presented that would have defunded abortion but in both cases they fell just short of success.
The pro-life movement is united and determined. The momentum is on our side, but we need to keep the pressure on our elected officials to follow through. The time to act is now.
Defending Life,
Victor Nieves, guest author
Leave a Reply