The head of 40 Days for Life says he’s optimistic that a Congressional pro-life majority working in tandem with the new Trump administration will defund Planned Parenthood, noting that the result would align with one of the current White House’s broader goals: reducing government spending.
But to reach that objective, he says, the pro-life community must speak out.
Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days for Life, made the comments last month during a webcast in which his organization launched a Defund Planned Parenthood campaign along with a website DefundPlannedParenthood.com.
“Planned Parenthood is getting $750 million of federal tax money, which is a record for them,” Carney said. “They did 392,000 abortions their last reported year.”
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Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, Carney noted, were tapped by Trump as part of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government spending and inefficiency. A push to Defund Planned Parenthood fits nicely within that framework, he added. Ramaswamy later left the DOGE initiative.
“This is just an easy [cut], nearly a billion dollars that you can cut,” Carney said. “Have Planned Parenthood do what we and all the other nonprofits in the world do, which is go raise money by sharing that you believe your mission is important and having people either agree or disagree with you and give you money or don't give you money. That's how nonprofits work. It shouldn't be a handout that you get from the government.”
Roughly one-third of Planned Parenthood’s budget, Carney said, comes from government funding. Another third comes from private donations, and the remaining third from abortion revenue.
“They are heavily reliant on the federal government,” he said. “They simply don't have the cash flow right now to [operate] without that government funding.”
Further, defunding Planned Parenthood would align with Trump’s belief that abortion is a state issue, Carney added.
“Whether you agree with it or not, the Republican talking point is abortion went back to the states, this is no longer a federal issue; it's a state issue,” Carney explained. “If it's not a federal issue, it should not get federal dollars.”
Every taxpayer in America is helping to fund Planned Parenthood, he noted.
“Even if you live in a place where abortion is highly regulated or even banned, your tax dollars are still going to Planned Parenthood,” he said.
Republicans enjoy a 219-215 advantage in the House and a 53-47 edge in the Senate this Congress. Significantly, the GOP’s majority in the Senate is larger than it was when Trump entered the White House in 2017.
“If we don't seize this moment right now, we don't know when we're going to get another opportunity,” said Steve Karlen, campaign director for 40 Days for Life.
The pro-life cause won the White House and Congress in an election year when national Democrats ran on a message of codifying Roe v. Wade, Carney said.
“This was the year to win on abortion if you were ever going to win on it,” he said. “Likewise, this is the year that you have to defund Planned Parenthood. Otherwise, you set a precedent that even when we get power, [the Republican majorities] don't really have to do it.”
As part of the webcast, Carney announced five action steps the pro-life community can take in 2025 to defund Planned Parenthood and defeat the abortion industry.
The first step is to pray.
“Prayer is the engine that drives any other successes that we have in this movement,” he said.
The second step involves signing the petition at DefundPlannedParenthood.com to defund the abortion giant.
“Send a message to Congress,” Carney said. “They need the push from the pro-life movement.”
The third step is to attend a March for Life rally, either at the national or local level.
“The politicians pay attention to this,” Carney said. “The messaging all needs to be: Defund Planned Parenthood. That is the best thing we can do overall as a nation for the unborn. It is going to close a lot of abortion facilities. It is going to close a lot of abortion referral centers.”
Fourth, Carney said pro-lifers should participate in a 40 Days for Life vigil outside an abortion clinic. The peaceful protests involve prayer and fasting with the goal of changing hearts and minds.
“Former Planned Parenthood workers tell us that the no-show rate for an abortion appointment goes as high as 75 percent when you are out there peacefully praying,” Carney said. “It is detrimental to a local abortion facility.”
The fifth step involves donating to pregnancy help centers.
“They are in high demand,” Carney said. “You can get a free ultrasound. Planned Parenthood charges for ultrasound. You can see a doctor. You won't see a doctor at Planned Parenthood unless you're having an abortion, and even then, that's not guaranteed because in some states they no longer require a doctor to do the abortion, which is absurd.”
“We love the pregnancy centers,” said Carney. “They depend on local funds, and people need to donate. It's a great, great pro-life New Year's resolution.”
Tweet This: We love pregnancy centers. They are in high demand. You can get a free ultrasound. Planned Parenthood charges for ultrasound -Shawn Carney
The Trump administration and the pro-life community, Carney said, have had a great partnership. Carney cited the judicial appointments from Trump’s first term and his speaking in person at the 2020 March for Life.
“Trump doesn't listen to a lot of people, but he does listen to the pro-life movement,” Carney said.
