On Saturday, June 28th, Live Action partnered with hundreds of dedicated, grassroots community activists for a nationwide day of demonstration to call for the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood — the nation’s top abortion provider and a leading provider of “gender-affirming care,” even for minors.
The corporation receives nearly $800M annually in taxpayer funding.
Key Takeaways:
- At more than 200 locations, groups and pro-life individuals made their voices heard in opposition to the taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.
- Leaders in California, D.C., Idaho, Illinois, Texas, and New Mexico, shared their thoughts on the success of the day, bringing awareness about Planned Parenthood to their communities and to the nation.
Commentary:
Here’s what some of the leaders in various locations across the country had to say about “Defund Day”:
In Washington, D.C., Dr. Michael New helped to lead a rally at Planned Parenthood, despite encountering various challenges in organizing for the day. They overcame these challenges and New said that “attendance was very strong with about 40 people” present. He added:
The speaker lineup included Jessica Newell and Kristin Turner from Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust — both of whom had spent part of the past couple weeks doing street level pro-life activism in the DC area. Serena Dyksen from She Found His Grace and Catherine Glenn Foster from Firsts Right Global both offered powerful personal testimonies.
During my remarks I discussed that nearly every year Planned Parenthood performs more abortions and offers less health care, but is wrongly rewarded with more and more taxpayer dollars.
David Bereit, who helped found 40 Days for Life… talked about how the efforts of pro-lifers in Bryan, Texas, led to the closure of a Planned Parenthood in that city. He said that defunding Planned Parenthood would be a historic victory which could lead to thousands of lives being saved.
In Idaho, State Sen. Tammy Nichols of Senate District 10 led a rally, calling the day “especially significant”:
I want to thank everyone who came out to the #DefundPlannedParenthood event! The day was a success, and I truly appreciate everyone who participated.
It was especially significant because, on the same day, an organization launched their ballot initiative signature drive to bring abortions back to Idaho.
The support we received, standing together in front of Planned Parenthood with our pink and black signs, sent a powerful message—that Idahoans stand for life, children, and families. Our tax dollars should not be used for anything that goes against these values.
Regarding rallies in El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, Southwest Coalition for Life CEO Mark Cavaliere reported that “… Roughly 90 pro-life supporters — 40 in El Paso and 50 in Las Cruces — linked arms through a live conference call, allowing both sites to hear the same prayers, speeches, and real-time updates.”
He stated that in Las Cruces, “a group of about 30 aggressive, mask-wearing counter protesters… followed attendees to their cars hurling profanity-laced and blasphemous taunts,” but “our participants remained peaceful, hopeful, and resolute.”
Cavaliere also said the rallies resulted in “a flood of phone calls” to Texas and New Mexico lawmakers, “urging them to end the $792 million in forced taxpayer funding that keeps Planned Parenthood’s abortion and gender-transition empire alive.”
“One young mom told us, ‘I’ve never spoken out publicly before, but today I called both senators and felt my voice finally mattered,’” he said, adding:
What we witnessed Saturday was also a striking illustration of the cultural divide between Texas and New Mexico.
In El Paso—where abortion is largely restricted—rally goers gathered with calm resolve and community support. Just 40 miles away in Las Cruces—where abortion remains unrestricted up to the moment of delivery—pro-life advocates were harassed, shouted down, and trailed to their vehicles by masked agitators.
This stark contrast reveals not only a difference in policy, but in public disposition: Texas leans toward protecting life, while New Mexico remains a sanctuary for abortion extremism.
Yet even here, in the heart of that darkness, the light of peaceful resistance is breaking through.
Near Chicago, Illinois, the Pro-Life Action League rallied at Planned Parenthood’s mega-center in Aurora (a suburb 35 miles west of the city). Matthew Yonke, the group’s COO, told Live Action News that the “Defund Day” protests “were an incredible exclamation point” on the years that the Pro-Life Action League has actively opposed Planned Parenthood:
The Pro-Life Action League has been battling Planned Parenthood for decades, and it’s incredible to be on the brink of seeing their funding finally taken away. The American people have been asking for this for decades in petitions, protests, and calls and letters to their representatives.
… Our protest at the Planned Parenthood mega-center in Aurora, Illinois, was filled with joyful hope at seeing this work finally come to fruition, and we heard from our supporters around the country who experienced the same thing.
Folks came out in all kinds of weather from driving rain to pounding heat. One protest leader reported that not a single person entered their PP facility during the protest!
Yonke called “Defund Day” a “hugely successful day of protest,” adding that they were “thrilled to have been able to partner with Live Action to make it happen.”
In Waco, Texas, “Defund Day” was coupled with an already-planned outreach by Pro-Life Waco. John Pisciotta PhD, founding executive director of Pro-Life Waco and Pro-Life in the Public Square, said that “Since we had our ‘It’s a Baby Waco’ outreach scheduled for the morning of June 28, we let that event serve a double purpose….”
Photo: John Pisciotta, Pro-Life Waco on Defund Day
He added:
After 30 years of boots on the ground throughout our city, Pro-Life Waco now has a regular cycle of five outreach events each month. We keep the battle for life in the minds of our neighbors and fellow citizens. It is a big plus for our foot soldiers to get a boost from a national organization focusing on a critical national issue….
Pisciotta said that while the group’s usual participation for outreach events is “about a dozen,” this demonstration’s “national theme and… sense of camaraderie” drew “20 enthusiastic life defenders.”
In Orange County, California, Alejandra Baker of 40 Days for Life Campaign Orange called the “Defund Day” rallies “powerful,” noting that “dozens attended the demonstrations” in Orange County, sending a “strong a clear message to Congress that ‘We The People’ do not want to fund the killing of children in the womb and/or aid in the gender confusion, sexual mutilation and transition of minors.”
Author’s Note: Special thanks to Live Action Research Fellow Carole Novielli for her assistance with this article.
