On May 21, the names of over 250 artists, activists, athletes, and business leaders — including Harry Styles, Addison Rae, Brittany Broski, Gracie Abrams, Jake Shane, Megan Thee Stallion, Pedro Pascal, and many more — appeared in a full-page ad in The New York Times to share a message: “We’re for Planned Parenthood.” This wasn’t just a randomly timed show of solidarity — it was a loud and urgent response to a quiet move happening in Congress right now. You might have seen headlines about the President Donald Trump-backed tax bill that’s currently making its way through Congress, but what you might not realize is that the bill directly impacts reproductive rights in a number of ways.
Early in the morning on May 22, while most of us were sleeping (literally), the U.S. House of Representatives quietly passed a massive tax bill backed by Trump and his allies. The so-called “big, beautiful tax bill” isn’t just about money, though; a huge part of the bill has to do with reproductive health care — namely, gutting funding of, and access to, it. But how can a tax bill have such an impact on reproductive rights, of all issues? Great question — here’s what to know.
The Trump Tax Bill Slashes Medicaid.
Right now, Republicans in Congress are trying to push through a bill that would put millions of Americans at risk of losing their health care.
They want to cut federal funding for Medicaid, take away tax credits that help more people afford coverage, and raise costs for working…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 22, 2025
For starters, the bill proposes slashing funding for Medicaid, and according to the Congressional Budget Office, these changes could cause 15 million people to lose health care coverage altogether. This in itself could deeply impact reproductive care, considering Medicaid covers one in five women of reproductive age in the U.S. and pays for nearly 40% of all births in this country.
It Seeks To Defund Planned Parenthood.
Also part of the bill is a push to defund Planned Parenthood. I know when you hear “Planned Parenthood,” your first thought might be abortion — and yeah, they do provide that. Since the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision, abortion has taken center stage in conversations about Planned Parenthood and reproductive health care. However, Planned Parenthood is also the largest provider of sexual and reproductive health care in the U.S. That includes STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, birth control access, pregnancy care, and gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary people. If you’ve ever gotten a pap smear, stocked up on birth control pills before a semester abroad, or sought out a supportive clinic that respects your identity, you know how personal and powerful access to this kind of care can be.
Abortion Care Is Also Directly Targeted.
🚨: The Rules committee just dropped an amended version of the Big Bad Budget Bill that includes a provision to pressure health exchange plans to drop abortion services except in the case of rape or the life of the mother (which as we have seen are very narrow exceptions) even if… pic.twitter.com/jR1Q77pXsD
— Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (@RepMcClellan) May 22, 2025
But there’s more: Also tucked into the bill is language that bans abortion coverage in any health plan purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). That means, if this becomes law, insurance plans that cover abortion — even in states where abortion is fully legal — won’t be eligible for federal subsidies, unless the abortion is due to rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
“Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ claims that they will not ban abortion nationwide were always a lie. Overnight, the receipts came in,” Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), co-chairs of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus, said in a statement. “We will continue to call out this attack on the people for exactly what it is: a Big Bogus Backdoor abortion ban.”
What’s Next For The Bill?
Now that it’s officially been passed in the House, the bill will go to the Senate for voting. That means, nothing is even close to being set in stone. Not only will the Senate likely make major amendments to the bill, it still needs to actually pass. For those who are unhappy about the bill, many are taking its passage in the House as a signal to getting serious about calling their Senators to urge them how to vote on the bill, putting pressure on their leaders on social media, and spreading the word to others about the lesser known aspects of the bill, such as its sweeping changes to reproductive rights in the U.S. The Senate is expected to start reviewing the bill soon, with a final decision expected in July.