By Katie Williamson

Last week, the Trump administration finalized its Protect Life Rule, which will prohibit Title X family-planning grants to any entity that performs abortions. The new rule takes effect in 60 days. Recipients of these tax dollars will have 120 days to financially separate their Title X activities from abortion services and one year to separate offices and personnel. While many pro-life groups are patting themselves on the back for successfully cutting between $50 million and $60 million dollars of funding from Planned Parenthood, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $560 million it received last year in taxpayer dollars. The unfortunate fact remains that this rule change will do little to save lives and merely illustrates how the pro-life movement is held back by its own standard of low expectations.

The issue of taxpayer funding for abortion goes beyond Title X family-planning grants from the Department of Health and Human Services. Indeed, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers will still be able to rake in taxpayer funding from other sources, most notably Medicaid. Given that pro-life activists intend to put an end to taxpayer-funded abortion, they should seek legislation that would permanently prohibit appropriations to any entity that performs abortions.

It’s no secret that money is fungible. In reality, any tax dollar that goes to an abortion provider for any reason frees up another dollar that can be used to advocate for or perform abortions. So while Planned Parenthood stands to lose between $50 million and $60 million annually in Title X family-planning grants, it will still be able to bill the federal and state governments for its other so-called “services” it provides under Medicaid. Your tax dollars are still going to Planned Parenthood.

Regulations can also be temporary. The Protect Life Rule can be rescinded by the next pro-abortion administration with the stroke of a pen. Even worse, if a future pro-abortion Congress and administration sign off on a Congressional Review Act to overturn the rule, future pro-life administrations would be prohibited from reissuing the same rule or a substantively similar one. Ending taxpayer-funded abortion would then become solely within the power of Congress.

So what can be done? Pro-life activists must work to regain a pro-life majority in the House of Representatives and defend the current pro-life administration. Then, it is paramount for activists to put pressure on Congress and the president to legislatively end ALL congressional appropriations to any organization that performs abortions or has associations with abortion providers. This would not only deny Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers Title X family-planning grant money, they would also then no longer be able to receive federal reimbursements for Medicaid services or any other federal government program.

Of course, pro-lifers across the country should be proud of the work that went into the finalization of the Protect Life Rule. But they cannot consider the job done. We have a long way to go before we permanently deprive the abortion lobby of taxpayer dollars. Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler’s Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act of 2019 (H.R. 833) would effectively do just that. And though it may not get past Nancy Pelosi this Congress, it is the kind of legislation that pro-lifers should rally behind. The pro-life movement can no longer afford to be stunted by its own low expectations. It’s time for the pro-life movement to step it up and demand more.

Katie Williamson is a conservative activist who has worked for pro-life candidates and organizations.