Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Defunding Planned Parenthood
Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Withholding Planned Parenthood Funds
On Monday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from withholding Medicaid funds intended to go towards Planned Parenthood.
According to the New York Times, Federal District Court Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling indefinitely extends a temporary block she placed on the federal government earlier this month. Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the federal government after a law included in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill imposed a one-year ban on Medicaid payments to nonprofits that perform abortions and received over $800,000 in federal funding in 2023.
Sounds like a strangely specific law? Talwani agreed, with her ruling finding that the law retaliated against Planned Parenthood, violated their First Amendment rights, and could potentially result in unconstitutional “legislative punishment.” The $800,000 threshold seemed to be the deciding factor, as no other nonprofit reached that level of federal funding. Talwani found it was “easily ascertainable” that the law was targeted specifically at Planned Parenthood.
From the New York Times:
Federal law already prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funds for paying for abortions, and Judge Talwani previously found that the provision was designed to indirectly squeeze clinics into dropping such services, using Medicaid payments as leverage.
She noted the expansive role that Planned Parenthood’s umbrella organization plays in political organizing, saying that the provision could also threaten “expressive” activity including advocating before Congress, supporting candidates and communicating with voters.
In withholding funding from the independent clinics that make up the organization’s network, Judge Talwani wrote that the provision effectively held the potential to minimize the organization’s footprint across the country. In many states, it could force clinics to vastly reduce services or close.
The law targeting Planned Parenthood was only the latest effort by the GOP to hamper women’s access to abortion and bodily autonomy. Abortion bans have been implemented in several Republican-led states as a result of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
So far, Missouri is the only state where an abortion ban has been reversed after voters enshrined abortion into the state constitution last year. Even that hasn’t been a straightforward journey, as legal proceedings have resulted in the ban going back and forth between restored and blocked, and state legislators are actively working on new legislation to restore the abortion ban.
Considering Missouri has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, perhaps they should spend more time focused on improving women’s access to healthcare instead of trying to limit it.
Unfortunately, Black women have borne the brunt of these anti-abortion measures. In Texas, the abortion ban has increased the deaths of Black mothers by 38%. In 2022, Amber Thurman died a completely preventable death when Georgia doctors refused to treat her in a timely fashion after she faced complications from an abortion pill.
Had Talwani allowed the funding to be withheld, these outcomes could’ve been worsened nationwide, even in states that allow abortion. Beyond providing abortions, Planned Parenthood provides sexual health services, family planning, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. The funding freeze wouldn’t have only hurt Planned Parenthood, but also the individual clinics associated with the organization.
Talwani wrote the law would require “each member to disaffiliate with Planned Parenthood Federation and stop providing abortion to continue participating in Medicaid programs,” which effectively “kneecaps the entire organization.”
The Trump administration filed an appeal over Talwani’s initial block, but barring any potential movement in that effort, Talwani’s ruling will remain in effect indefinitely. So, at least for the time being, Planned Parenthood doesn’t have to decide between providing a vital service for millions of women or losing a catastrophic amount of money.
What a shame we’re under an administration that even put that choice on the table to begin with.
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