Supreme Court Deals Blow to Planned Parenthood in South Carolina Medicaid Case
WASHINGTON — June 27, 2024 — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that Medicaid recipients cannot sue states over provider restrictions, handing South Carolina Republicans a victory in their years-long battle to defund Planned Parenthood.
Key Takeaways
✔️ Ruling: States can exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid without facing patient lawsuits
✔️ Impact: Strengthens conservative states’ ability to restrict funding to abortion providers
✔️ Dissent: Liberal justices warn decision undermines civil rights protections
✔️ Context: Comes two years after Roe v. Wade reversal, as SC enforces 6-week abortion ban
The Decision
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the conservative majority, determined the federal Medicaid statute doesn’t grant individuals a “private right of action” to challenge state provider decisions.
“Nothing in the text suggests Congress meant to create such a right,” Gorsuch wrote, adding that states administer Medicaid within federal guidelines.
The ruling:
• Upholds SC’s 2018 exclusion of Planned Parenthood from Medicaid
• Blocks lawsuits like one filed by patient Julie Edwards
• Sets precedent for other GOP-led states to follow
Reactions
Supporters:
➡️ SC Gov. Henry McMaster: “A victory for life and state rights”
➡️ Alliance Defending Freedom: “States should fund comprehensive care, not abortion providers”
Critics:
➡️ Planned Parenthood: “Devastating blow to low-income patients’ healthcare access”
➡️ Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: “Hollows out civil rights protections” in dissent
What’s Next
• Planned Parenthood’s SC clinics remain open but lose Medicaid funding
• Other red states may accelerate similar defunding efforts
• Democrats in Congress could propose legislative fixes
Background: While federal law already bars Medicaid abortion funding, SC and other Republican states have sought to cut all public money to Planned Parenthood, which provides contraception, cancer screenings and other services at its SC locations in Charleston and Columbia.
