Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order Thursday defunding the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
The order bars Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion companies from the state’s Medicaid program, ensuring “not going to be a penny of Nebraska tax dollars” supports the abortion industry. It’s a move pro-life advocates celebrated as a vital step in shielding taxpayer funds from an enterprise that ends hundreds of thousands of unborn lives annually.
While state and federal law already prohibit tax dollars from directly financing abortions directly, millions of taxpayer dollars have continued to subsidize the abortion industry through the Medicaid program. An executive order signed by Governor Pillen put an end to this misuse of public funds, stripping abortion providers of all Medicaid funds.
Flanked by Department of Health and Human Services CEO Dr. Steve Corsi and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Pillen invoked a “culture of life” framework for the order, which redirects Medicaid dollars to “high-quality healthcare providers” that do not also kill babies in abortions.
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The action, grounded in a June 2025 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, affirms states’ rights to exclude abortion companies from taxpayer funding programs without violating patients’ choices.
“There’s not going to be a penny of Nebraska tax dollars, going to Planned Parenthood clinics,” Pillen declared, emphasizing the order’s aim to prevent any state or federal funds from subsidizing abortion services.
“Nebraska is rightfully taking action to protect life and uphold our state’s pro-life values,” said Nebraska Family Alliance Executive Director Nate Grasz. “Taxpayer dollars should not be funding abortion clinics or corporations like Planned Parenthood. We applaud Governor Pillen and Attorney General Hilgers for their leadership and unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our state.”
The governor’s directive follows Nebraska’s 2023 Legislative Bill 574, which protects babies from abortions starting at 12 weeks, curtailed telemedicine abortions, mandated parental consent for minors and a 24-hour waiting period — measures that have already reduced the number of abortion centers in the state to just two.
For pro-life defenders, the order represents a triumph in the escalating national battle to defund Planned Parenthood, building on federal momentum that has starved the organization of Medicaid reimbursements. In a landmark September 2025 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit unanimously upheld the Trump administration’s authority to withhold such funds under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a provision that bars tax-exempt abortion-performing entities from receiving Medicaid payments if they exceeded $800,000 in federal funding the prior year.
The appeals court, in a 3-0 ruling by judges Gelpi, Montecalvo and Aframe — all Biden appointees — lifted a preliminary injunction.
The decision echoed the Supreme Court’s Medina holding that “Medicaid law does not grant patients an enforceable right to choose their healthcare provider,” empowering states like Nebraska to prioritize ethical alternatives.
