MEGAN CROWLEY: Planned Parenthood Is A National Disgrace At Taxpayer Expense

At a time when America is facing unprecedented debt, with inflation hitting hardworking families and entitlement programs under stress, why are we giving a multi-billion-dollar organization millions each day? Few institutions in America embody moral and fiscal irresponsibility quite like Planned Parenthood. This organization, which presents itself as a benevolent health care provider, is in reality the largest abortion business in the nation—one that taxpayers are forced to pay $2 million per day, or roughly $700 million per year. What’s worse, Planned Parenthood spends $70 million annually to defeat Republican and pro-life candidates, ensuring that the cycle of government funding and political favoritism continues uninterrupted. If we were to cut off taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood, it would not only be a moral victory but also a significant step toward reducing our national debt and redirecting resources toward real health care initiatives.

In one year alone, Planned Parenthood is responsible for 392,715 abortions—an unfathomable and unacceptable loss of innocent lives. That is over 1,000 babies aborted per day, each of whom had the potential to live, love, and contribute to society. Planned Parenthood and its supporters try to sanitize these numbers, framing abortion as a “necessary” health care service, but the reality remains: this is industrialized destruction of human life, funded by our hard-earned tax dollars.

As someone who has lived with Pompe disease since birth, I have personally experienced the value of life, even when others may not see it. If we start determining whose lives are worth living based on convenience or difficulty, where do we draw the line? I was not supposed to see my second birthday, yet here I am today, at 28 years old, living proof of the importance of fighting for life, no matter the obstacles. I have never breathed on my own, walked on my own, or had a moment without a parent or nurse within earshot. My life has been challenging, but it has also been full of purpose, love, and impact. If my parents had been pressured to see my existence as a burden rather than a gift, I would not be here today. The foundation of our society should be built on protecting the most vulnerable, not disposing of them. Yet, Planned Parenthood operates under a worldview that sees unborn children not as individuals with inherent dignity, but as a simple problem to be erased.

Some claim that taxpayer dollars do not directly fund abortions, but this is laughable. Every dollar given to Planned Parenthood frees up another dollar to expand abortion and pro-abortion advocacy. The $700 million that taxpayers pay Planned Parenthood annually could be better spent on prenatal care, adoption services, support for struggling mothers, or even debt reduction (isn’t that a novel idea?). Instead, it lines the pockets of an organization that turns around and funnels $70 million into political efforts to elect pro-abortion candidates and defeat those who stand for life. This is not health care—it is a political machine disguised as a nonprofit.

Planned Parenthood insists that abortion is only a small fraction of what they do, but the numbers, the facts, tell a different story. Their own reports reveal that for every one adoption referral, they commit over 200 abortions. Meanwhile, comprehensive women’s health clinics across the country offer a wide range of health care without terminating innocent life. If Planned Parenthood truly cared about women’s health, they would invest in services that support both mother and child, rather than ensuring abortion remains their most profitable endeavor.

There is a deep irony in Planned Parenthood’s claim to support women. Abortion disproportionately affects minority communities, with African American babies aborted at a rate far higher than any other demographic. This is the legacy of Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood’s eugenicist founder, whose vision of birth control was rooted in population control, not dissimilar to China’s policy. Today, Planned Parenthood continues that legacy, preying on vulnerable women and disguising it as empowerment. As someone with a rare genetic disease, I know firsthand what it’s like to be considered “less than” by a society that places value on ability and convenience over human dignity. Every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves that same chance.

The solution is simple: Congress must take immediate steps to defund Planned Parenthood and reallocate those resources to true women’s health care providers and family-support services. We cannot claim to be a nation that values life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness while financing the deaths of nearly 400,000 unborn children every year.

Ending taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood would not only save lives but also weaken the abortion lobby’s grip on American politics. If Planned Parenthood wants to be political activists, let them do it on their own dime—not ours. (They won’t, they can’t.)

America was founded on the principle that all human beings have an unalienable right to life. It is long past time that we, as a nation, stop subsidizing an organization that denies that right to our most vulnerable citizens. Let us choose life, fiscal responsibility, and moral integrity. Defunding Planned Parenthood is not just the right choice—it is the necessary one, for the safety of the unborn and women.

Megan Crowley, born with Pompe disease, is now a 28-year-old Notre Dame graduate who also achieved her master’s in social work at UNC Chapel Hill in 2021. She now works full-time for Make-A-Wish New Jersey as Assistant Director of Mission Integration. Megan and her father’s story was chronicled in a book, “The Cure,” and inspired the movie “Extraordinary Measures” starring Harrison Ford.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.