Planned Parenthood drops lawsuit against Trump over Medicaid cuts
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Planned Parenthood announced it is voluntarily withdrawing its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s authority to withhold Medicaid payments under a provision in President Donald Trump’s tax bill.
The organization filed the lawsuit in July after President Donald Trump signed a spending bill banning federal funds from going to abortion providers; Lawyers for Planned Parenthood argued that the law unfairly targets its clinics and would leave patients with even fewer health care options.
In December, a federal appeals court ruled that the administration could continue to cut Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
A separate lawsuit filed by a group of mostly Democratic states suffered a similar setback in January but is still ongoing, and a related lawsuit filed in Maine was voluntarily dismissed in October.
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Planned Parenthood announced that it is dropping its lawsuit against the Trump administration over the government’s move to cut Medicaid funding for abortion providers. (Getty Images)
A third lawsuit filed in Maine by a network of medical clinics also affected by the spending bill was voluntarily dismissed in October.
Planned Parenthood moved to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Friday.
“The goal of this case has always been to help Planned Parenthood patients receive the care they deserve from their trusted providers. Based on the 1st Circuit’s decision, it is clear that this case is no longer the best way to achieve that goal,” the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Association of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah said in a joint statement. he said.
Under the tax provision in Trump’s spending bill, Medicaid payments would be halted if providers like Planned Parenthood primarily provide certain services, including abortions, and receive more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023.
Planned Parenthood said 23 health clinics were forced to close because of President Donald Trump’s spending bill. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
Planned Parenthood was not specifically named in the legislation, but the organization’s leaders have said the law is intended to impact its clinics across the country as Republicans at the federal and state level continue to target the organization.
Federal law prohibits taxpayer money from covering most abortions, but many Republicans have long argued that abortion providers like Planned Parenthood use Medicaid money to subsidize abortions for other health care services.
Planned Parenthood said 23 health clinics were forced to close because of Trump’s spending bill. More than 50 clinics closed in 18 states last year, most of them in the Midwest.
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President Donald Trump signed a spending bill in July that bans federal funds from going to abortion providers. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
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“President Trump and his allies in Congress have weaponized the federal government to target Planned Parenthood at the expense of patients, leaving people without the care they rely on,” Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. he said.
“With every attack, Planned Parenthood has never lost sight of its focus: ensuring patients can get the care they need from the provider they trust,” he continued. “This will never change. Care remains, as does our determination to fight for everyone’s freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
