Planned Parenthood sues Trump administration over ‘defunding’ in Big, Beautiful Bill

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services regarding a provision in the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

Two members of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America — the organization’s Utah and Massachusetts branches — have sued the Trump administration over a provision in the Big, Beautiful Bill that effectively defunds Planned Parenthood by eliminating patients’ ability to use Medicaid as insurance at their health centers nationwide.

The organization said that if this provision is allowed to stand, it would have “devastating consequences” for more than a million patients who use Medicaid as their insurance at Planned Parenthood health centers throughout the country. This means denying access to get birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, and more.

Moreover, Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s CEO, called the bill a backdoor abortion ban, saying, “They just don’t care. They’re willing to do just about anything to stand between Americans and the abortion care they need” in a statement on Thursday.

The group said that close to 200 Planned Parenthood health centers in 24 states across the country are at risk of closure, and if health centers are forced to cut their services or close altogether, it could result in a public health crisis.

Planned Parenthood is calling upon the Trump administration to put an “immediate, emergency stop” to this law’s effects on their health centers.

“The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government’s control over funds to punish Planned Parenthood,” the lawsuit states. “It does so not only because of Planned Parenthood Members’ long history of providing legal abortions to patients across the country, but also because of Planned Parenthood’s unique role in advocating for policies to protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. This legislative attack is unconstitutional and cannot stand.”

The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah has been active in Utah for over 55 years.

“Here in Utah, we are used to politicians trying to strip away our rights for political gain,” a statement from Shireen Ghorbani, interim president, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, reads. “We haven’t backed down before, and we won’t now.”

The organization has outlined the following possible consequences of the provision:

• If Planned Parenthood is “defunded,” nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers in 24 states across the country are at risk of closure. More than 90% of those closures would occur in states where abortion is legal.
• More than 1.1 million patients could lose access to care.
• A majority (60%) of Planned Parenthood health centers at risk of closure are located in medically underserved areas (MUAs), primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSA-PCs), or rural areas.

Planned Parenthood’s full lawsuit is available below: