The Supreme Court has ruled that South Carolina can stop Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood. This decision came down on Thursday, with justices voting 6-3 to overturn a previous ruling by the Fourth Circuit. That earlier ruling had allowed a Medicaid user to file a federal lawsuit over the exclusion of Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program in South Carolina.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion. He explained that Medicaid law does not clearly give patients the right to sue when they are unhappy with the healthcare providers included in the program. Gorsuch pointed out that states have the power to decide which healthcare providers can participate in Medicaid, similar to how they can exclude doctors with felony convictions. He mentioned that Planned Parenthood can still contest its exclusion through South Carolina’s own administrative process.
In dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, expressed concern. She argued that the ruling takes away a crucial way for Medicaid recipients in South Carolina to enforce their rights, which Congress has granted them.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican, has previously stated that taxpayers should not have to support abortion providers that conflict with their beliefs. The state has a law that prevents taxpayer dollars from being used for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk. Planned Parenthood operates two clinics in South Carolina, and this ruling could significantly impact their funding and services.
