Supreme court weighs SC effort to defund Planned Parenthood: 5 reactions from both sides

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, April 09, 2025

5. Federally Qualified Health Centers can 'easily replace' Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood has claimed that blocking it from participating in Medicaid will only make it harder for patients to access affordable health care; however, pro-life advocates contend that patients have other care options. 

According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, as of July 2022, Planned Parenthood operated two centers in South Carolina. Meanwhile, 140 pregnancy resource centers and federally qualified health clinics in the state provided comprehensive care to vulnerable individuals. 

There are more than 5,300 federally funded health clinics caring for underserved populations in the U.S., according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, which outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics 14 to 1. In addition to these federally funded health clinics, more than 2,700 pregnancy centers annually serve millions of women and families by offering free pregnancy resources. 

In a statement last month, Students for Life Action, the sister organization of Students for Life of America, argued that the U.S. can “easily replace” Planned Parenthood with federally qualified health centers. The national grassroots pro-life group has repeatedly called on politicians at the federal and state levels to “defund Planned Parenthood.” 

The pro-life advocacy group cited Planned Parenthood’s 2022-23 annual report, which showed that the abortion vendor saw a little over 2 million patients. In comparison, the National Association of Community Centers reported in October 2024 that community health centers served nearly 32.5 million patients in 2023. 

“The Abortion Lobby lies when they say that poor women will lose healthcare if they are defunded,” Students for Life Action declared.

“Frankly, these women will save themselves a trip when they skip the extra stop at [Planned Parenthood] and go to better-equipped, already Federally Qualified Health Centers for quality care they can trust.”