The pro life movement just scored a massive victory, and it is one that Planned Parenthood and its allies never thought would actually stick. On Friday, a federal appeals court unanimously ruled that the Trump administration can continue cutting off federal funding to Planned Parenthood, overturning an earlier attempt by a district judge to block the move. That ruling clears the way for President Trump’s policy to stay in effect and delivers a serious blow to the abortion industry’s taxpayer funded business model.
The case centers on a provision in President Trump’s so called Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law in July, which restricts Medicaid reimbursements to large abortion providers. Planned Parenthood rushed to court claiming it was being unfairly targeted, and an Obama appointed judge, Indira Talwani, stepped in to try to stop the defunding. Her ruling did not last long. The First Circuit Court of Appeals tossed it out, unanimously, and notably did so with a panel made up entirely of judges appointed by President Biden. That detail alone undercuts the usual talking point that this was some kind of partisan hit job.
In the opinion, Judge Gustavo Gelpí made something very clear. Congress has broad authority over how federal dollars are spent. The law does not punish Planned Parenthood, it simply sets conditions on receiving taxpayer money. If the organization wants access to those funds, it can halt abortion services. If it refuses, it does not get the money. That is not illegal, it is basic budgeting and policy making.
Planned Parenthood warned of drastic consequences, and in this case they might actually be right. Reuters reported that at least 20 Planned Parenthood facilities have already shut down since the law was signed. More closures are likely. For decades, the organization relied on a steady flow of public money while insisting it was not really an abortion provider. That fiction is now collapsing under its own weight.
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: A US Appeals Court has UNANIMOUSLY decided to OVERTURN an activist judge’s ruling that BARRED President Trump from pulling federal funding from Planned Parenthood
HUGE win for MILLIONS of babies! 🙌🏼
With this decision being unanimous, it’s time to IMPEACH the… pic.twitter.com/biIAqgSRwQ
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 12, 2025
🚨🚨🚨BOOM: Another victory for Trump Administration with Court of Appeals overturning injunction in favor of Planned Parenthood. 1/ pic.twitter.com/vLTm4QOZXp
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) December 12, 2025
What makes this ruling especially significant is that it exposes how fragile Planned Parenthood’s position really is without taxpayer support. If an organization claims abortion is a small part of what it does, losing federal funds should not be an existential threat. Yet here we are, watching clinics close one after another.
President Trump was right to push this fight. Americans should not be forced to subsidize abortion, period. This ruling affirms that elected lawmakers, not unelected judges, get to decide how federal money is used. Judge Talwani’s attempt to override that authority was slapped down, and rightly so.
For the pro life movement, this is not just a legal win. It is a cultural and moral one. Fewer Planned Parenthood locations means fewer abortions, and fewer abortions means more lives saved. That is the reality the media will dance around but cannot change.
Your tax dollars will no longer be funneled into an organization built on ending innocent lives. President Trump drew a line, the courts upheld it, and the consequences are already being felt. This is what winning actually looks like.
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