On behalf of the ERLC, Dr. Hollingsworth joined with pro-life partners to send a letter to Leader Thune and members of the U.S. Senate asking them to extend the reconciliation provision defunding Planned Parenthood and other large abortion providers. The coalition letter was led by Live Action.
Last summer’s defunding of Planned Parenthood and other large abortion providers through budget reconciliation was a historic event—the first time in permanent law that abortion providers have been stripped of federal funding. Tragically, this one year reconciliation provision is set to expire on July 4, 2026, coinciding with the 250th birthday of our nation.
Southern Baptists are fiercely committed to protecting the sanctity of life and have long stood against the use of taxpayer dollars to fund Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S., responsible for nearly 435,000 abortions each year. Prior to the one year defunding provision becoming law, Planned Parenthood received hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars each year—over $800 million in Fiscal Year 2024. This revenue stream allowed Planned Parenthood to direct other monetary resources to pay for and promote abortions. The expiration of the defund provision will allow this to happen again.
This letter asks the Senate to prioritize including this provision in a reconciliation bill in 2026.
It highlights that the 2025 defunding provision, though limited to one year, has been effective in stripping money from organizations whose core business models rely on abortion.
It also articulates the deceptive and harmful activities of large abortion providers beyond just abortion services, particularly to minors, including offering cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers and providing access to inappropriate sex education content without oversight from parents.
