Jul 21, 2025, 11:47 AM ET

Maine abortion chain sues as ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ defunds abortion providers

A lawsuit filed by The Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of a Maine abortion chain challenges the provision in the federal government’s reconciliation bill that prevents businesses that commit elective abortions from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursements.

There are 19 federally qualified health centers in Maine that receive federal funding which typically do not commit abortions.

Key Takeaways:

On July 4, President Trump signed a budget bill that includes a provision barring any elective abortion business from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursement.
Planned Parenthood immediately filed a lawsuit against the provision, and now Maine Family Planning has followed its lead.
Maine Family Planning runs 18 facilities in the state and claims that it is vital to individuals and families in rural areas, but there are 19 federally qualified health care centers available across the state for low-income families.

The Details:

On July 16, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on behalf of Maine Family Planning (MFP), Maine’s largest network of abortion facilities.

Never miss the latest news in the fight for life.

The lawsuit asks for emergency relief from the law and challenges the provision of the federal budget bill, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” that strips abortion businesses of federal Medicaid funding, which comes from taxpayer dollars. The lawsuit claims that the provision violates MFP’s constitutional rights.

According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, MFP operates 18 facilities in Maine, including many in rural areas. It says that it is the “sole health care provider for roughly 70% of its patients — half of whom rely on Medicaid.”

“We are suing because this law will prevent thousands of Mainers from going to their trusted health care provider at Maine Family Planning, simply because they provide abortion care among many other services,” said Nancy Northup, President and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The Big Picture:

A 2025 Knights of Columbus/Marist poll found that 57% of American adults “oppose” or “strongly oppose” tax dollars paying for abortions. Although federal Medicaid funding can’t be used to directly pay for abortions (except in cases of rape or the life of the mother), money is fungible — meaning, those funds are paying for the same building, same utilities, same provider salaries, etc., and therefore, those funds are still supporting the business of abortion.

Maine ranks second in the nation for the number of primary care physicians practicing in rural communities (99.5 per 100,000 vs 54.5 per 100,000 national average). The state has at least 19 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) available that receive funding under CMS, which offer primary care, have interdisciplinary teams, and are community-based and patient-directed. They must accept all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

The Bottom Line:

Americans don’t need to use abortion businesses for their health care, and they don’t want their taxpayer dollars to fund businesses that kill preborn children in the womb and call it health care.

Follow Live Action News on Facebook and Instagram for more pro-life news.

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.

Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!