Will Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood be revoked? Supreme Court to decide
The Supreme Court has accepted to examine a lower court ruling that affirms Medicaid patients’ right to select their healthcare providers.
WASHINGTON − On Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced it will review South Carolina’s attempts to eliminate Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding, addressing a continuing conflict over abortion rights in conservative areas.
The justices are set to examine a lower court’s ruling that Medicaid patients are entitled to select their healthcare providers freely.
Even though Planned Parenthood cannot use government funds for abortion procedures, conservative states claim that the organization should be completely disqualified from receiving any public funding.
“Public funds should never support facilities profiting from abortion services,” stated John Bursch, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, representing the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2018, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster prohibited abortion clinics from providing services such as contraception and cancer screenings to Medicaid recipients.
As a response, Planned Parenthood and a patient filed a lawsuit.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood, stating that Medicaid patients have the right to “freely choose among qualified healthcare providers, including Planned Parenthood.
South Carolina has asked the Supreme Court to take this case, calling it “a significant question of national importance.”
Opposition to Planned Parenthood funding isn’t limited to conservative states alone.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, key figures in President-elect Donald Trump’s push to reduce government expenditures, have also targeted the organization.
The case, titled Kerr v. Planned Parenthood, is anticipated to reach a decision by summer.
