It Looks Like a Victory … But Is It?

The dirty little secret about how your tax dollars keep flowing through Medicaid to Planned Parenthood

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting off millions of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood — something every Christian should celebrate.

But if we’re honest, we’ve seen this before: One leader stands up, takes a bold action, and we breathe a sigh of relief. And then? The moment passes, the leader moves on, and the bad thing returns.

This is not new. We see this pattern repeated by the judges and kings of Judah throughout the Old Testament. A good king or judge rises up, tears down the altars to false gods, and restores the people to God. Then as soon as he dies, the people rebuild the altars and fall back into sin — over and over again.

Let’s look at Hezekiah and Manasseh. One was a very godly king, and one was so bad that God allowed Babylon to destroy Judah generations after his death.

We see the same thing repeatedly happen in the battle over abortion. We get a temporary win, but the death machine keeps moving because we never attack the root.

And one of the deepest roots — one most people never even think about — is Medicaid.

Deep Root in the Deep State

While politicians argue over executive orders, Planned Parenthood’s real financial lifeline comes through Medicaid. Planned Parenthood is a Medicaid-approved provider in most states, billing the government for things like cancer screenings, STD testing, and birth control.

Here’s what most people don’t realize: Medicaid reimbursements account for nearly 37% of Planned Parenthood’s total revenue every year. That’s hundreds of millions of your tax dollars, flowing in year after year, no matter who’s in the White House.

Technically, that money can’t pay for abortions because of the Hyde Amendment. But that’s not really the point: Money is fungible. Medicaid pays the Planned Parenthood staff, keeps the lights on, and covers rent and equipment—and every dollar Planned Parenthood isn’t forced to raise for those things frees up private donations to fund what they really care about: abortion.

Planned Parenthood loves to argue that abortion is just a small part of what they do — only 3%, they say. The real mission, according to them, is providing healthcare to low-income women.

If that were true, then the solution would be simple: Stop performing abortions and keep the Medicaid funding. They could split off the abortion business tomorrow and continue offering birth control, cancer screenings, and healthcare with full government support. Women wouldn’t lose access to those services because the Medicaid dollars would keep flowing.

But Planned Parenthood refuses to do that. And that tells you everything you need to know.

Planned Parenthood would rather lose healthcare funding for low-income women than give up abortion. Because the truth is, abortion isn’t 3% of what they do; it is the beating heart of their business model. The “healthcare services” acts as the cover.

Next Steps for Christians 

This is where Christians often drop the ball. We win a round, celebrate, and then retreat. But if we’re serious about ending abortion, we can’t stop here.

We must focus on the Medicaid pipeline.

Here are four simple steps for what needs to happen:

1. Push for legislation: Medicaid funds can only go to healthcare providers who don’t perform abortions. I could argue that we could even increase funds to Planned Parenthood if they truly provided only healthcare.
2. Expose the lie: Planned Parenthood is not “just” about women’s health. If they cared about healthcare, they’d make the obvious choice: stop the abortions and keep the funding.
3. Redirect support: Until they do this, redirect support to community health centers and pregnancy clinics that offer real care — without abortion.
4. Stay engaged. Evil is more patient than the reels that pop up on our social media feeds. If we don’t press the advantage now, the cycle will repeat itself.

If we sit back now, evil will creep right back in. Just like in the days of the judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), we’ll see the culture rebuild its altars to abortion and people turn their backs on what is right. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Thank you, President Trump, for stepping up. But now it’s our turn. This is the moment for courage. The work isn’t done. The victory isn’t complete. But the path forward is clear.

Let’s press in. Let’s finish the job.

Peter Demos is the author of On the Duty of Christian Civil Disobedience and the host of Uncommon Sense in Current Times. A Christian business leader from Tennessee, Demos uses his biblical perspective and insight gained from his own struggles to lead others to truth and authenticity in a broken world. To learn more, visit peterdemos.org.