Trump's Planned Parenthood: Can He Overturn The Law?

Former US President Donald Trump's administration attempted to block federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organisation that provides reproductive health services, including abortions. Trump's policies, such as the Title X gag rule, aimed to restrict access to abortion and family planning services, particularly for low-income individuals. While Trump did not completely defund Planned Parenthood, his administration's rules forced the organisation to withdraw from the Title X program, impacting millions of people who depend on its services. Trump's actions, along with the appointment of anti-abortion Supreme Court justices, contributed to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the US.

Trump's impact on Planned Parenthood's Title X funding

In 2019, the Trump administration enforced a gag rule that forced Planned Parenthood grantees out of Title X, the national program for affordable birth control and reproductive healthcare. Planned Parenthood had been a part of the program since its inception nearly 50 years prior, and was the largest provider, serving 40% of all patients who received care through Title X. The new rule prohibited Title X grantees from providing or referring patients for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency.

Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association sued the Trump administration to block the Title X gag rule, and although three district courts blocked the rule, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed it to take effect. The gag rule was opposed by major medical associations, like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, as well as 110 public health organizations, public health experts, and many others.

The Trump administration's rule change was not limited to Planned Parenthood. Maine's sole Title X grantee, Maine Family Planning, also withdrew, and it was predicted that the move could force as many as 15 clinics to close in the largely rural state.

In addition to the Title X gag rule, President Trump also took other actions to restrict funding for abortions and reproductive healthcare. In 2025, he signed an Executive Order to end the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortions. This included rescinding two executive orders from President Biden that violated the Hyde Amendment, which protects taxpayers from being forced to pay for abortions. Trump also reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, ensuring that taxpayer money is not used to fund abortions globally, and cut all funding to the United Nations Population Fund, which supports coercive abortion and forced sterilization.

Trump's actions had a significant impact on Planned Parenthood's funding and operations, and contributed to a broader effort to restrict access to reproductive healthcare and abortion services in the United States.

Trump's global gag rule

On January 24, 2025, President Trump reinstated the Global Gag Rule, a policy that restricts US foreign assistance to organisations that provide, counsel, or advocate for legal abortion services. This policy, also known as the Mexico City Policy, was first introduced by the Reagan administration in 1984 and has been reversed by Democratic administrations and reimposed by Republican ones.

The Global Gag Rule has led to the closure of clinics in countries around the world and disrupted vital health services by cutting off funding for organisations that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare, including contraception, maternal care, menstrual hygiene programs, HIV prevention and treatment, and treatment for other infectious diseases. It has also stifled local advocacy efforts and undermined reproductive rights worldwide.

The policy has been opposed by major medical associations, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians, as well as public health experts and organisations. Champions of women's health are expected to fight back by supporting the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, a bill that would repeal the harmful Global Gag Rule.

Trump's stance on taxpayer funding for abortion

In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to enforce the Hyde Amendment, which aimed to end the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortions. The order also rescinded two executive orders from President Biden that violated the Hyde Amendment. These were Executive Order 14076, which promoted and funded abortion, and another that defined abortion as "healthcare".

Trump's order aimed to restore a longstanding policy that prevented taxpayer funding of abortion. The previous administration had embedded federal funding of elective abortion in a wide variety of government programs. Trump's order also reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which stopped federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortion overseas. This policy was also extended to global health assistance, ensuring that no U.S. taxpayer money supported foreign organizations that perform or actively promote abortion in other nations.

Trump's administration also took steps to block funds for Planned Parenthood, a long-held goal of conservatives. The administration's gag rule forced Planned Parenthood out of the Title X National Program for birth control, which provided affordable birth control and reproductive healthcare. Planned Parenthood was the largest provider in the program, serving 40% of all patients.

Trump's influence on reproductive rights

During his first term as President, Donald Trump had a significant impact on reproductive rights in the United States. One of the most notable ways in which Trump influenced reproductive rights was through his administration's efforts to defund and restrict the activities of Planned Parenthood, a leading provider of reproductive healthcare services.

In 2019, the Trump administration introduced a "gag rule" that prohibited Title X grantees, including Planned Parenthood, from providing or referring patients for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency. This rule forced Planned Parenthood and several other providers out of the Title X program, a federal family planning program that provides affordable birth control and reproductive healthcare to millions of people. The rule was opposed by major medical associations, public health organizations, and experts, who argued that it was an attack on reproductive healthcare and would limit access to critical services for low-income individuals.

Additionally, Trump took steps to expand the ability of employers to claim religious or moral objections to the Affordable Care Act's requirement to offer employees insurance coverage for contraception. His administration also redirected funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs and family planning grants into programs that emphasize sexual abstinence over contraception. These changes were challenged in lawsuits by groups supporting reproductive rights, but they had the support of evangelicals, a significant part of Trump's political base.

Trump also followed through on his campaign promise to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established the federal right to abortion. During his first term, Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, resulting in a wave of state-level abortion bans and restrictions across the country. Trump's actions during his first term, particularly his appointments to the federal judiciary, have had a lasting impact on reproductive rights in the United States, and there are concerns that a second Trump term would further imperil abortion access and reproductive rights.

Trump's impact on Planned Parenthood's legal challenges

In 2017, Planned Parenthood condemned President Trump's signing of a bill that threatened healthcare protections for 4 million Title X family planning patients. The bill did not defund Planned Parenthood, but it was seen as an attempt to undermine women's health and overturn a rule that reinforced protections for those who rely on Title X.

In 2019, Planned Parenthood was forced to withdraw from the Title X National Program for birth control due to the Trump administration's "gag rule". This rule prohibited Title X grantees from providing or referring patients for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency. Planned Parenthood was the largest provider of these services, serving 40% of all patients who received care through the Title X program. The impact of this rule change was not limited to Planned Parenthood, as other providers were also forced to withdraw. Several states refused to participate in the Title X program if the gag rule was implemented.

The Trump administration also took steps to shift the direction of federal health programs in a conservative direction. They expanded the ability of employers to claim religious or moral objections to providing insurance coverage for contraception. Funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs and family planning grants was channelled into programs that emphasized sexual abstinence over contraception. These changes were challenged in lawsuits by groups supporting reproductive rights.

During his first term, Trump appointed three anti-abortion justices to the US Supreme Court, which resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States. A second Trump term would pose a significant threat to women's reproductive health and rights, with plans to ban medication abortion, block its delivery by mail, and make it easier for employers to exclude contraceptive coverage from their employees' health plans.

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