In a significant decision handed down Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that states, including South Carolina, have the authority to exclude abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs.
The ruling, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, is seen by pro-life advocates as a major step forward in efforts to prevent taxpayer dollars from going to organizations involved in the abortion industry.
This case started in 2018 in South Carolina when Governor Henry McMaster began efforts to disqualify Planned Parenthood from receiving state Medicaid funds, citing the organization’s abortion-related services and arguing that taxpayer money should not support such providers.
Public funds are not legally allowed to be used for most abortions due to the federal Hyde Amendment, but Planned Parenthood still receives hundreds of millions in government funding annually. Opponents argue that this funding then subsidizes the organization’s broader operations, including elective abortions and pro-choice political activities.
Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief in this South Carolina case. The group’s founder and chairman, Mat Staver, said, “The U.S. Supreme Court has rightfully ruled that states can defund abortion. It makes no sense to require states to fund an organization that kills children. Congress did not create a right for individuals to have states pay for their abortions. Taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund abortion or subsidize practices that kill children and harm women.”
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“This is a major win for babies and their mothers,” agreed Katie Daniel, Director of Legal Affairs and Policy Counsel for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “By rejecting Planned Parenthood’s lawfare, the Court not only saves countless unborn babies and their mothers from dangerously shoddy ‘care,’ it also protects Medicaid from exposure to thousands of lawsuits from unqualified providers.”
Planned Parenthood argued that Medicaid patients rely on its facilities for services such as contraception and STI testing. In South Carolina, the organization received about $90,000 annually from Medicaid. However, critics note that community health centers, which do not perform abortions, outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities by a ratio of 15 to 1 and offer a broader range of care.
In court documents, the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of SBA Pro-Life America, detailed a decline in Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion health services while noting a record-high 400,000 abortions performed by the organization in a single year, alongside nearly $800 million in taxpayer funding.
The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to have wider implications beyond South Carolina. It may pave the way for similar actions in other states and fuel momentum for congressional efforts to add a measure aimed at defunding abortion providers nationwide during upcoming budget reconciliation efforts.
SBA Pro-Life America reports that more than 150 pro-life groups across the country are now lobbying Congress to cut Medicaid funding to abortion providers entirely.
Earlier this year, South Carolina Republicans issued a letter criticizing Planned Parenthood’s reliance on taxpayer dollars while it was actively participating in political campaigning. After Thursday’s ruling, SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said, “Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer-funded gravy train is swiftly coming to an end.”
The ruling marks a pivotal moment in the national debate over the role of abortion providers in publicly funded health care.
