Following the inauguration of Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., Planned Parenthood's Instagram presence underwent a dramatic shift, triggering online discussion and reigniting debate surrounding its funding. The organization's Instagram posts vanished, replaced briefly by a cryptic image of eyes on a black background, followed by a GIF proclaiming, "I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me." Subsequently, only three posts remained, all focusing on condom usage.
This unusual activity coincided with renewed calls from pro-life advocates to defund Planned Parenthood. These calls echo recent efforts by Advancing American Freedom, a conservative watchdog group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, urging the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal spending allocated to the organization.
In a letter to Elon Musk, president of Advancing American Freedom, Tim Chapman, emphasized the need to "defund the largest abortion provider in America." A Government Accountability Office report revealed that Planned Parenthood received substantial funding from HHS grants and public health programs between 2019 and 2021, totaling nearly $22 billion and $53 billion, respectively.
During his confirmation hearing, RFK Jr. stated his belief that "every abortion is a tragedy" and aligned himself with former President Trump's view that abortion regulation should be left to individual states. Kennedy pledged to implement Trump’s policies on the matter, despite having previously expressed support for abortion rights. With Kennedy leading HHS and Musk at DOGE, pro-choice supporters are concerned about the future of Planned Parenthood's funding.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America issued a statement on February 3rd warning that defunding the organization would jeopardize patients' access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. The organization reported treating 2.05 million patients in 2022, providing services including over 4.6 million STI tests and nearly 213,000 breast exams. However, the statement did not include data on the number of abortions performed. Planned Parenthood has not yet responded to a request from Fox News for comment.
