The biggest baby of the bunch, which entered the world at just 23 weeks, weighed only one pound. But Bilal was even smaller and is considered the second smallest baby on record at 8 ounces. (That’s about the same weight as a large apple.)

Mohamed was worried Bilal would not survive, but was thrilled to take her smallest baby home exactly one year after he was born.

"All praise to God," Mohamed said, speaking Somali. "I'm very happy today because my children and I are healthy and going home."

Quintuplets Make History as They Graduate from the Same College: ‘A Gigantic Moment’
All five babies survived, despite having just a 10% chance of doing so, Dr. Thomas George, the Medical Director for Neonatology, said.

They are the first set of quintuplets to be cared for at Children’s Minnesota in over 10 years, WCCO-TV reported.

Bilal reportedly had the biggest uphill battle, receiving constant care to improve his breathing and help him gain weight.

“I didn’t think he was going to make it,” Mohamed said, adding that she and others “were living by the hour” when Bilal was initially being treated, WCCO-TV reported.

Now Bilal and his siblings are all home and are expected to develop normally as they grow up.

“The kids overcame extraordinary odds,” George said.

But some research offers hope for pregnant women with cancer. For example, Life News reports a study in The Lancet in 2012 that found that pregnant women don't need to abort their babies while undergoing cancer treatment.

And research in 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that chemotherapy does not harm the development of an unborn baby. "Prenatal exposure to maternal cancer with or without treatment did not impair the cognitive, cardiac, or general development of children in early childhood," researchers wrote.

It is an experience that Sarah Wickline Hull knows well.

When she was 20 weeks pregnant, doctors told her that she had aggressive cancer.

Hull said that doctors told her that she and her baby could die and suggested she have an abortion.

That was more than 10 years ago. Today Hull and her daughter are happy and healthy.

She shared about her story earlier this year in a Facebook post.

"People are talking about the medical necessity of abortion to save the mother's life. I was one of those mothers," she said.

"I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that was cutting off my airway at 20 weeks of pregnancy. I will never forget when the first doctor, an oncologist, mentioned abortion. We had gone thru years of infertility to get pregnant. I knew I would rather die and give birth."

She continued, "Then I met with another doctor who listed all of the problems the baby would have if I did not terminate. I stood my ground and refused. He said, 'That is ok. The baby will probably spontaneously abort anyway'."

"I searched and found good doctors that supported me, and I gave birth to a healthy baby at 34 weeks," she said.

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of Hull becoming cancer free.

"I have a healthy, beautiful, bright, precious 10-year-old daughter who is a living reminder that doctors do not know everything," said Hull.

But a recent article in The New York Times has once again shed light on Planned Parenthood’s true priorities—and provided a compelling case for why states should be able to direct taxpayer funding away from the abortion giant.

Planned Parenthood mainly serves to end unborn life
First, it is important to understand that Planned Parenthood’s primary goal is to maintain its position as America’s number-one abortion provider. According to Planned Parenthood’s 2022-2023 Annual Report, it performed 392,715 abortions between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022—an increase of more than 70 percent from just 20 years ago.

During the last 15 years, it has drastically reduced contraceptive services and cancer screenings, all while increasing the number of abortions it performs. A review of the 2022-23 annual report by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that “abortions made up 97.1% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services, while prenatal services, miscarriage care, and adoption referrals accounted for only 1.6% (6,316), 0.9% (3,604), and 0.4% (1,721), respectively.”

These raw numbers alone should be enough to prove that Planned Parenthood exists mainly to peddle abortions, and therefore states shouldn’t be forced to give the organization taxpayer money. But The Times’ investigation reveals even deeper problems.

Mistreatment of patients and employees
Planned Parenthood has received massive donations in recent years. In 2022, for example, it capitalized on the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and raised $498 million in donations, according to The Times.

But many of Planned Parenthood’s state affiliates have complained about a lack of funding. In a facility in Omaha, Nebraska, a clogged toilet caused sewage to leak into an abortion recovery room for two days in 2024. Employees shoved exam table pads under the door to try to stop the leak, but some patients reportedly vomited from the smell.

In New York, Planned Parenthood closed four facilities due to budget problems. And Planned Parenthood of Northern California made a “hard funding choice” last year when it discontinued a prenatal program that had been serving 200 to 250 low-income women each month.

So, how does an organization raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in donations each year have such problems? As The Times put it, “the majority of the money is spent on the legal and political fight to maintain abortion rights.”

Instead of using its funds to provide vulnerable women with the “trusted care” it promises, Planned Parenthood is using it to advocate for abortion. Both patients and employees have suffered because of this decision.

Nakara Alston got an abortion at a Planned Parenthood facility in Albany, New York, and she experienced pain and bleeding for weeks afterward. She eventually went to an emergency room, where staff found that the baby was still in her womb.

Nakara gave birth to her baby 12 weeks after Planned Parenthood botched her abortion, and the baby quickly died. She filed a malpractice suit against Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, The Times reported.

In Nebraska, another Planned Parenthood facility inserted an IUD in a woman they failed to realize was four months pregnant. The woman was rushed to an emergency room hours later, where she gave birth to a stillborn child.

Employees told The Times they didn’t receive adequate training for patient intake, blood draws, and other important tasks, putting both the employees and patients in dangerous positions. Others have sued Planned Parenthood for refusing to pay overtime, for pushing out staff who needed time off to care for newborn babies, and for firing staff who complained about discrimination and other practices.

Meanwhile, chief executives of five New York affiliates made a combined $1.5 million one year before scarce resources forced the affiliates to merge into a single entity. After that merger, two executives left in part because they weren’t keen on taking pay cuts, The Times reported.

South Carolina’s Supreme Court case
Planned Parenthood claims that it needs Medicaid funding so it can provide holistic care for women. But as its mismanagement of funds and mistreatment of patients and employees has proven, the organization cares much more about peddling abortion and pro-abortion politicking nationwide.

In South Carolina, a statute prohibits taxpayer funds from being used for abortions. And because money is fungible, funneling taxpayer funds to abortion facilities for any purpose indirectly subsidizes abortions. This is especially true for Planned Parenthood given its prioritization of abortion over other services.

As a result, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to deem abortion facilities, including Planned Parenthood, unqualified to receive Medicaid funding if they continue performing abortions. Planned Parenthood and an individual plaintiff immediately sued to have that funding reinstated. And they won that lawsuit in federal court.

Following an unfavorable ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, Alliance Defending Freedom appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of South Carolina’s DHHS Director. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and oral argument will take place in April 2025.

Americans have repeatedly rejected taxpayer funding of abortion, and they should not be forced to fund political organizations like Planned Parenthood. The Supreme Court now has a chance to confirm that South Carolina and other pro-life states can direct taxpayer Medicaid funds to medical providers offering real healthcare services instead of abortion facilities that consistently choose harm over health.

One of the most harrowing stories included in the report involves a woman from Albany, New York, who filed a malpractice lawsuit after experiencing complications from an abortion procedure. After the procedure, the woman returned to the clinic with severe pain but was told by staff that nothing was wrong and sent home. Twelve weeks later, she delivered a baby that was alive but ultimately died shortly after birth.

Such incidents come as no surprise to those in the pro-life movement, who have long raised concerns about the practices of Planned Parenthood.

Katie Glenn Daniel of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America remarked, "This is how Planned Parenthood has run many of its businesses for years, and for those of us who are deep in the pro-life movement, we've seen this."

The Times article also highlights financial mismanagement within the organization. Despite receiving $498 million in donations in 2022, little of this funding appears to go toward healthcare. Pro-life advocates have long called for an end to taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, and the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is renewing that push, urging Congress to defund the organization.

"The American people should not be forced to subsidize an organization that profits from the deaths of innocent lives," reads a letter on the group's website.

Katie Glenn Daniel agrees, stating, "They've shown that they're not good stewards of our money, and there are millions of pro-life Americans and even millions of pro-choice Americans who say, I don't want my taxpayer money going to pay for abortions."

In addition to these financial concerns, the report also points to high staff turnover, lack of proper training for employees, and clinics in desperate need of repairs and upgrades. With more clinics closing, lawsuits mounting, and some states cutting Medicaid funding, there are growing signs that Planned Parenthood is losing its grip on the abortion industry.

Lila Rose, founder of Live Action, expressed her view that Planned Parenthood's future is increasingly uncertain. "The writing should be on the wall. They receive 700 million dollars in taxpayer funds. Planned Parenthood shouldn't be receiving a single dime in taxpayer funds. They are a corrupt abortion chain that should be shut down instead," she said.

As the organization faces ongoing legal and financial challenges, the future of Planned Parenthood remains uncertain, with many calling for an end to taxpayer support and demanding greater accountability.