The 2025 March for Life is happening on Friday in Washington, D.C. The annual anti-abortion march started in 1973 after the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the country. That was overturned in 2022 with the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The theme for this year’s march is “Life: Why We March,” with the stated purpose of encouraging “pro-life advocates to draw renewed energy for this challenging moment.” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) honored the event by expressing his commitment to “protect the right to life.” On Thursday, he reintroduced his bill, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act.
Planned Parenthood is an organization with a self-described mission of being the nation’s “leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive healthcare for all people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education.” Paul opposes this commitment to abortion.
“As a physician, I took an oath to do no harm. As a father and grandfather, I’ve witnessed the miracle of life firsthand,” Paul said in a statement. “My commitment to protecting life isn’t just personal, it’s rooted in both science and principle. Life begins at conception, and I’ve spent my time in the Senate fighting to protect the right to life.”
In the spirit of the March for Life, and Paul’s established history as a politician who is anti-abortion, the Kentucky senator’s bill would prevent federal tax dollars from going to organizations that conduct abortions, such as Planned Parenthood, a press release from the senator read.
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no federal funds may be made available to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, or to any of its affiliates,” the text of the Defund Planned Parenthood Act reads.
The Defund Planned Parenthood Act is co-sponsored by seven other Republicans: Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Ted Budd (R-NC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
George Landrith, president of Frontiers of Freedom Institute, praised Paul for introducing the bill and criticized the billions of dollars of taxpayer money that fund abortions each year.
“Sen. Rand Paul continues to champion constitutional policies with his vital bill to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Taxpayers should not be compelled to fund over $1.5 billion annually for an organization that performs nearly 400,000 abortions each year,” Landrith said in a released statement. “Despite its claims of providing comprehensive healthcare, Planned Parenthood has seen rising abortion numbers and declining other health services. The Hyde Amendment once protected taxpayers from funding abortions — it’s time to reinstate this sensible safeguard.”
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In a press release announcing Paul’s bill, Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life Action, was grateful for Paul’s bill and said it was a necessity to ensure taxpayer money is not used to fund abortions.
“Sen. Rand Paul’s Defund Planned Parenthood Act is a critical step in the direction of protecting taxpayer dollars from supporting the abortion industry, specifically, Planned Parenthood, our nation’s largest abortion provider,” Mancini said. “We at March for Life Action will continue to work towards enacting legislation like this bill that is in the best interest of women’s health, protects the most vulnerable unborn child, and seeks to support mother and child.”
