Supreme Court Enables States to Defund Planned Parenthood Under Medicaid

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, ruled in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic that Medicaid patients do not have a clear right to sue when states remove a healthcare provider from their Medicaid network, effectively allowing states to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood and similar providers. This decision marks a significant setback for reproductive health care access, as it enables states to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid networks without facing federal lawsuits, despite the organization providing a wide range of non-abortion health services. The ruling was criticized by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who warned it undermines civil rights protections by preventing Medicaid recipients from suing when their rights to choose their providers are violated. The case originated from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster's 2018 executive order to remove Planned Parenthood from the state's Medicaid program, motivated by anti-abortion politics rather than patient safety concerns. The decision reverses a lower court’s ruling and aligns with ongoing efforts by conservative lawmakers and officials to defund Planned Parenthood, even for services unrelated to abortion. While the ruling does not affect Medicaid funding for abortions directly, it intensifies challenges for Planned Parenthood’s survival and patients’ access to comprehensive reproductive health care.