A judge has blocked a ban on abortion funding. The ban was part of a larger bill. The bill was described as 'One Big Beautiful Bill'.
18 days ago
A Massachusetts federal judge, Indira Talwani, issued a ruling on July 21, 2025, blocking a provision in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that sought to prohibit taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion centers 2. The judge granted a temporary injunction, allowing Planned Parenthood to continue receiving Medicaid reimbursements while its lawsuit progresses 2.
Planned Parenthood initiated the Planned Parenthood v. Kennedy lawsuit, asserting that the "Defund Provision" within the reconciliation bill violates the First Amendment, the equal protection clause, and the bill of attainder clause of the Constitution 2. Another organization, Maine Family Planning, has also filed a similar lawsuit challenging the ban 2.
The judicial decision has drawn strong criticism from pro-life organizations. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, condemned the ruling as a "desperate attempt to run out the clock" and "a shameful abuse of our tax dollars" 2. Students for Life of America echoed this sentiment, calling it a decision by an "unelected judge" that forces Americans to fund Planned Parenthood, which they identify as the nation's largest abortion vendor 2.
Pro-life advocates emphasize that the injunction allows Planned Parenthood to continue receiving millions in taxpayer funds daily, despite their view that the organization profits from ending unborn lives 2. They argue that community health centers offer comprehensive alternatives to Planned Parenthood, outnumbering their facilities 15 to 1 2. Organizations like Live Action's founder, Lila Rose, have urged the Trump administration to appeal the ruling immediately, labeling it "blatant judicial abuse" 2.
Is abortion funding morally permissible, according to Church teaching?
The Catholic Church teaches that direct abortion is gravely contrary to moral law and is an "unspeakable crime" . This teaching has been consistently affirmed since the first century and remains unchangeable .
The Church's stance on abortion funding is derived from its fundamental opposition to abortion itself.
The Church holds that human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception . From the very first moment of existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person, with the inviolable right to life being paramount . This belief is rooted in the understanding that human life is sacred, created in the image and likeness of God, and is a gift from God whose love knows no limit .
Direct abortion, defined as abortion willed either as an end or a means, is considered a grave moral disorder because it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being . No circumstance, purpose, or law can ever make such an act licit, as it is contrary to God's law written in every human heart . The Second Vatican Council sternly condemned abortion, stating that "From the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes" .
Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense . The Church attaches the canonical penalty of latae sententiae excommunication to those who procure a completed abortion, meaning the excommunication is incurred by the very commission of the offense . This penalty also extends to accomplices without whose help the crime would not have been committed . The purpose of this sanction is to emphasize the seriousness of the crime and encourage conversion and repentance .
Given the Church's unwavering teaching on the sanctity of life from conception, any action that facilitates or promotes abortion, including its funding, would be considered morally impermissible. Pope John Paul II stated that "No human authority, not even the State, can morally justify the killing of the innocent" . He further noted that the tragic transformation of a crime into a right is a sign of societal decadence and that permissive abortion laws express an incorrect form of democracy .
Therefore, providing funding for abortion would be seen as a form of cooperation with an act that the Church considers intrinsically illicit and gravely contrary to moral law. It would undermine the fundamental right to life and contradict the Church's mission to safeguard human life from its very beginning .