The USA: Supreme Court to Decide If States Can Deny Medicaid Funds to Planned Parenthood
South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, wants to stop public Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood, even though federal law already prohibits federal funds being allocated for abortion practices. Nearly one in five women of reproductive age is enrolled in Medicaid, so losing a trusted provider could mean fewer options for vital care.
At Planned Parenthood, staff are not only concerned about abortion services, but all the other essential services provided like birth control, cancer screenings, and pregnancy tests for low-income people. If South Carolina wins this case, other states could follow their example by cutting off Medicaid patients from choosing Planned Parenthood as their provider for general health care. Although South Carolina Republicans argues that patients can just go elsewhere, many counties, especially rural areas, lack obstetrician- gynecologist services while other health center are already stretched thin.
Compiled from: Lindsay Whitehurst, “Supreme Court weighs whether states can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood,” AP News, April 2, 2025
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