Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) indicated over the weekend that a second Trump administration would again seek to defund Planned Parenthood if it continues to provide late-term abortions.
“On the question of defunding Planned Parenthood, look, I mean, our view is we don’t think that taxpayers should fund late-term abortions,” Vance told RealClearPolitics on Saturday.
“That has been a consistent view of the Trump campaign the first time around. It will remain a consistent view.”
The bulk of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding comes from Medicaid reimbursements.
Former President Trump and Vance have largely shied away from committing to federal action on abortion, repeatedly saying they believe it should be an issue left up to states, though Vance has spoken in support of making abortion illegal nationally.
During the vice presidential debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) last week, Vance said the GOP had to “do so much better of a job at earning the American People’s trust back on [abortion] where they frankly just don’t trust us.”
The Trump administration had sought to defund Planned Parenthood through different avenues, including issuing a rule that facilities receiving Title X funding cannot also provide or give referrals for abortion services. This led to Planned Parenthood withdrawing from Title X. The Biden administration ended the Title X “gag rule” in 2021.
Vance’s remarks appeared specifically targeted at late-term abortions, which generally refers to abortions carried out in the third term of pregnancy. Such procedures are rare and almost always due to a medical emergency.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign and Planned Parenthood for additional comment.
Harris campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement that Vance’s statement showed “a second Trump term is too big a risk for American women and their families.”
“JD Vance made it clear tonight — a Trump-Vance administration will defund Planned Parenthood and deny millions of women basic health care, including birth control, cancer screenings and even prenatal care — just like he did when he was president,” she said.
Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, responded to Vance’s remarks in a statement Sunday.
“For JD Vance, it’s not enough to ban abortion. He and Donald Trump want to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood health centers, which would rob millions of people across the country of vital, affordable care,” said Lawson.
“Every time JD Vance opens his mouth, he makes it clearer: A potential Trump-Vance administration is the greatest threat to reproductive freedom we’ve seen in a generation,” she added.
Under the Hyde Amendment, federal funds are prohibited from going towards abortion services, though exceptions are included for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
Lawson said defunding Planned Parenthood would impact non-abortion services, like “cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and many other essential reproductive health care services.”