Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
What happened
A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Monday that the Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood under a provision of the recently passed Republican "big, beautiful" megabill. The preliminary injunction, a nationwide expansion of a narrower order issued earlier this month, comes as the White House works to defund the women's health care provider, citing its abortion services.
Who said what
The new GOP law likely violates Planned Parenthood's constitutional rights by singling it out for punishment, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said in Monday's ruling, and the organization's patients are "likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable." The judge found that the administration was trying to "indirectly squeeze clinics" into dropping their abortion services "using Medicaid payments as leverage," said The New York Times.
Federal law already prohibits using Medicaid to cover abortion costs. Planned Parenthood member locations "stand to lose over a third of their aggregate revenue" from the Trump-backed law, said Axios.
What next?
The White House has filed an appeal of Talwani's earlier ruling. Barring action from the appeals court, said the Times, her broader ruling will likely "stay in effect for the time being."
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