A huge win for the pro-life movement!
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic that South Carolina can block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding.
Justices Ketanji Brown-Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
The abortion mill and patient Julie Edwards brought the lawsuit under Section § 1983 of the Medicaid Act “to vindicate rights secured by the federal Medicaid statutes”:
Section 1983 allows private parties to sue state actors who violate their “rights” under the federal “Constitution and laws.” But federal statutes do not automatically confer §1983-enforceable “rights.” This is especially true of spending-power statutes like Medicaid, where “the typical remedy” for violations is federal funding termination, not private suits. Gonzaga Univ. v. Doe, 536 U. S. 273, 280.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote:
At their best, individual suits under §1983 can vindicate plaintiffs’ rights while pushing States to fulfill their obligations. But private enforcement does not always benefit the public, not least because it requires States to divert money and attention away from social services and toward litigation. And balancing those costs and benefits poses a question of public policy that, under our system of government, only Congress may answer. See Sandoval, 532 U. S., at 286; Gonzaga, 536 U.S., at 285–286.Section 1983 permits private plaintiffs to sue for violations of federal spending-power statutes only in “atypical” situations, Talevski, 599 U. S., at 183, where the provision in question “clear[ly]” and “unambiguous[ly]” confers an individual “right,” Gonzaga, 536 U.S., at 290. Section 1396a(a)(23)(A) is not such a statute. Because the Fourth Circuit concluded otherwise, its judgment is reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Planned Parenthood argued that the case centers around general healthcare, not abortion.
Yeah, but what does Planned Parenthood thrive on? Abortion.
In July 2018, South Carolina said Planned Parenthood cannot receive funds from the state’s Medicaid program due to a state law not allowing public funds for abortions.
South Carolina also does not allow abortions after six weeks.
Federal law also does not allow Medicaid money to pay for abortions with a few exceptions.
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