The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that states may cut Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, backing a South Carolina law that blocked public health dollars from going to the organization.
Though not directly about abortion, the case centered on Medicaid patients’ ability to choose their health care providers for services like cancer screenings and contraception. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said enforcement of such rights should be left to lawmakers, not courts.
The ruling overturns a lower court decision in favor of Julie Edwards, a South Carolina woman who sued to keep using Planned Parenthood for birth control due to her health risks. The dissent, led by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, warned of “tangible harm” to patients now stripped of their choice.
Public health groups said lawsuits have been the only meaningful way for Medicaid patients to defend that choice. Planned Parenthood says the ruling may force the closure of up to 200 clinics, mostly in abortion-legal states.
South Carolina allocates about $90,000 annually in Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood.
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