Leftist Judge Temporarily Blocks ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ From Defunding Planned Parenthood

Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts has temporarily halted a measure in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ thats cuts Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood, leading to widespread criticism for judicial activism.

Image Credit: Alex Wong / Staff / Getty
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(LifeSiteNews) — U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani has issued a temporary restraining order against a provision of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that temporarily denies taxpayer funding to the abortion industry, in what many see as an exceptionally egregious case of judicial activism.
Last weekend, Trump signed his controversial “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (BBB) into law, a wide-ranging policy package that includes a one-year ban on federal tax dollars going through Medicaid to any group that commits abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, or supposed threats to the mother’s life. 
Last year, Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report revealed that its affiliates across the nation took in $699.3 million in government “health services” reimbursements and grants, accounting for 39 percent of its total revenue during that period, meaning the BBB and other defunding actions Trump previously took stand to severely impact the lucrative abortion business.
Planned Parenthood sued, alleging that even though it was not specifically named in the BBB, it was effectively the only organization that qualified under the bill’s language and that losing that money would cause “devastating” layoffs and location closures.
Talwani, a judge appointed by former President Barack Obama, agreed in a rulingbarring the administration from enforcing the defunding provision of the BBB but also “tak[ing] all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and time frames to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members; Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah.” Her order will remain in effect for two weeks, unless reversed or extended by another court.