Appeals court steps in to again allow Planned Parenthood defunding

UPDATE, 12/09/25: An appeals court has blocked Judge Indira Talwani's injunction against the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood. The First Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned her first restraining order by unanimous decision, again overruled her injunction.

After verifying they have jurisdiction over the matter, the court wrote, "The request for an immediate administrative stay is granted." With the ruling, the defunding can take effect while litigation proceeds.

12/04/25: The same judge who previously issued an injunction against legislation to defund Planned Parenthood of federal Medicaid dollars for one year has blocked the legislation again — this time, on behalf of 22 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C.

Key Takeaways:

• Earlier this summer, the budget bill referred to as the “The Big Beautiful Bill” passed Congress and was signed by Trump.

• The bill would bar Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses from receiving Medicaid funding for one year.

• Planned Parenthood sued, and Obama-appointed Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary restraining order against the defunding within hours of the lawsuit being filed.

• A federal appeals court lifted her restraining order, saying Planned Parenthood could be defunded as the lawsuit proceeds.

• Another lawsuit, filed by 22 Democratic states and the District of Columbia, also sought to block the bill, and Talwani has again placed a temporary injunction against the defunding.

The Backstory:

Just hours after Planned Parenthood filed its lawsuit in July, Talwani issued a restraining order blocking it. That decision was blasted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which said Planned Parenthood does not have a right to taxpayer dollars.

By September, however, the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Talwani, allowing the partial defunding to take effect.

Notwithstanding the contrary conclusion reached by the district court after its careful consideration of the matter, we conclude that defendants have met their burden to show their entitlement to a stay of the preliminary injunctions pending the disposition of their appeals of the same....

The July 21, 2025 preliminary injunction and the July 28, 2025 preliminary injunction are hereby stayed pending disposition of the respective appeals. The separate motions by the State of Louisiana and the American Center for Law & Justice for leave to file an amicus brief also are GRANTED and the briefs are accepted for filing as of this date.

However, a second lawsuit had also been filed, this time by 22 Democrat-led states, as well as the District of Columbia. That lawsuit claimed the defunding was a targeted anti-abortion effort, and that the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood would cripple medical ecosystems within their states, though state Medicaid dollars are not part of the defunding legislation.

The Details:

Despite her previous order being blocked, Talwani issued a temporary injunction against the bill in favor of the 22-state lawsuit. In her ruling, she slammed the bill, calling it "impermissibly ambiguous," and said it would "increase the percentage of patients unable to receive birth control and preventive screenings, thereby prompting an increase in states’ healthcare costs."

She also claimed the bill was unconstitutional, and "does not furnish states with clear notice as to the meaning and application of [the provision’s] criteria."

Talwani put her ruling on hold for seven days to give the Trump administration time to appeal to a higher court.

Why It Matters:

Though Talwani and the lawsuit opposing the bill claim otherwise, Planned Parenthood is not a legitimate health care provider, and defunding it will not cripple state health care systems or deprive women of care.

Based on statistics provided in Planned Parenthood's own annual reports, the abortion chain only serves an estimated 2% of American women of reproductive age — and the few legitimate health care services it provides have plummeted over the years. What has increased is abortion, skyrocketing to record highs. Taxpayer funding has likewise increased significantly.

Cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood have fallen by 79% since 2004, breast cancer screenings over 80% since 2000, pap tests over 83% since 2004, prenatal care 80% since 2010, and STI treatments 19% since 2019. Abortions, meanwhile, have increased by 100% since 2000.

Though abortions are increasing, Planned Parenthood has fewer clients than ever before. And without Planned Parenthood, women will not be deprived of health care; its facilities are far outnumbered by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other non-profit clinics. In 2023, for example, FQHCs had 15,000 location sites compared to approximately 600 Planned Parenthood facilities. FQHCs serve significantly more people, providing cancer screenings, prenatal care, and more.

The Bottom Line:

Defunding Planned Parenthood not only will not deprive women of health care — it's a position Americans overwhelmingly support.

A 2025 Knights of Columbus/Marist poll found that 57% of American adults “oppose” or “strongly oppose” taxpayer funding for abortion.

Abortion activists may claim that the taxpayer funding Planned Parenthood gets only goes towards non-abortion services, but that money is fungible, meaning it helps to bolster the corporation’s abortion business (the facilities, the physicians, the employees, etc.), and not just the few “legitimate” health services it offers.