California Hides Where $20 Million in Abortion Funds Are Going

Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock.com
Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock.com

California’s abortion industry is raking in millions of taxpayer dollars under a shroud of secrecy, and state officials are doing everything they can to keep it that way. Under Governor Gavin Newsom’s leadership, Democrats approved a $20 million “Abortion Practical Support Fund” (APSF) after the fall of Roe v. Wade—but they wrote in a special exemption to keep the recipients of that money hidden from the public.

That means taxpayers are footing the bill, but they’re not allowed to know which organizations are profiting. A public records request by the Daily Caller News Foundation was flatly denied. Why? Because Democrats specifically inserted language shielding abortion grantees from disclosure, citing “patient privacy.”

Pro-life leaders are calling it what it is: an intentional effort to conceal the state’s growing abortion industry. “They are doubling down on extremism—promoting abortion tourism while abandoning women who are seeking real help and life-affirming alternatives,” said Katie Glenn Daniel of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

California’s January 2025 report on the APSF did reveal some high-level data: 1,343 women had their pharmacy expenses covered, 1,172 received transportation, and 630 were provided lodging. One unnamed organization boasted about hiring an “abortion services coordinator” thanks to the grant. But still, not a single group name was revealed.

The secrecy doesn’t stop there. California has also dumped $40 million into an “Uncompensated Care Fund” for abortion providers and launched a $20 million Los Angeles County “Abortion Safe Haven” initiative. All of these are administered by Essential Access Health (EAH), a nonprofit led in part by a former Planned Parenthood staffer.

That’s a massive pipeline of taxpayer money flowing to abortion services—with virtually no public accountability. “States should not hide the use of taxpayer funding, especially when it’s being used to intentionally end a human life,” said Sarah Zagorski of Americans United for Life.

California isn’t the only Democrat state going all-in. Maryland recently kicked off its $25 million “Public Health Abortion Grant Program,” using funds diverted from leftover Obamacare cash. Baltimore awarded nearly $170,000 to pro-abortion groups, while Massachusetts handed out $1.8 million to Planned Parenthood and others. Meanwhile, in Texas, the City of Austin has been quietly handing out hundreds of thousands of dollars to Jane’s Due Process—a group that helps underage girls obtain abortions without parental consent.

That same group received city funding for things like “sexual wellness education” and a birth control text line. In April, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city for launching an abortion travel fund that benefits the same organization. Jane’s Due Process has since claimed it helped 68 minors get out-of-state abortions last year alone.

Critics argue these programs exploit legal loopholes and shield accountability. Shield laws, grant exemptions, and public records exclusions are all tools to hide the abortion money trail. The result? Voters are kept in the dark, while activists pocket millions behind the scenes.

California’s strategy of promoting itself as an abortion “safe haven” has real costs. Not just to taxpayers, but to transparency, public trust, and the lives of the unborn. The same state that micromanages water usage and bans gas-powered lawnmowers suddenly has no interest in telling people how their tax dollars are being spent.

At a time when Democrats accuse others of threatening democracy, perhaps they should look in the mirror. Because in California, it’s not just the unborn who are silenced—it’s the public, too.