Pro-Life Win: US Supreme Court Clears Path to Defund Planned Parenthood

In a significant victory for the pro-life movement, the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of South Carolina’s plan to defund Planned Parenthood, creating a pathway for other states and Congress to finally stop using taxpayer dollars to subsidize Planned Parenthood.

This decision affirms state governments, and even the federal government, have the authority to define a qualified medical provider and confirms Medicaid recipients can’t sue to block those decision.

The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood, concerns South Carolina’s decision to withhold Medicaid tax dollars from abortion providers.

As reported by the Daily Citizen, the case originated with an executive order South Carolina’s governor issued in 2018, which prohibited abortion clinics from participating in the state’s Medicaid program.

Planned Parenthood sued the state on behalf of Medicaid recipients, claiming they have a judicially enforceable “right” to choose which qualified medical providers Medicaid should cover, including Planned Parenthood.

The Court heard oral arguments in April.

The majority opinion was authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch and joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh and Barrett.

The central issue in this case was whether the Medicaid Act’s language gives recipients a legal right to sue in court. The majority said no because the language is too vague. If Congress wanted to permit individuals to sue, the Court opined, it would have used crystal-clear “rights” language. In this case, it did not.

The majority also reasoned that, because Medicaid is a spending program, federal agencies are responsible for holding states accountable, not individuals filing lawsuits.

The dissenting opinion was written by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and joined by Justices Sotomayor and Kagan.

Dissenting justices argued that, in their opinions, the statutory language gives individuals the right to sue. They contend that if Medicaid recipients can’t sue in court to defend their rights, they are powerless to challenge the state’s actions.

The case reveals an important philosophical divide within the Court regarding the separation of powers, federalism and the role of the judiciary.

The majority represents a more restrained and limited role of judicial power, requiring unambiguous language from Congress to interpret a private cause of action in federal statutes. The dissent presents a more expansive interpretation of the law and judicial power to infer rights in federal law that may not be explicitly stated.

Medina is a landmark case because it empowers states and Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

Focus on the Family applauds the Court’s decision. This ruling will save women and babies from the tragedy of abortion.

Other states can now look to South Carolina’s law as an example of how they, too, can defund Planned Parenthood at the state level.  

In addition, Congress now has strong legal authority to defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers at the federal level.

Now is the time to call on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. American taxpayer dollars shouldn’t subsidize abortion providers. Contact your senator and representative today.