Courts Everywhere Said Women Can Use Medicaid at Planned Parenthood. This One Just Ruled They Can’t. - Mother Jones
The Trump administration has tried and failed several times to defund Planned Parenthood, but one federal court has just succeeded. In a 2-1 decision, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the state of Arkansas can withhold Medicaid funds from the women’s health care provider—a switch the state has sought since 2015. The decision marks a major departure from court precedent and may have set up the issue of Planned Parenthood defunding for a possible Supreme Court challenge.
“This is a surprising decision,” says Mara Gandal-Powers, senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center. “This is not where the other circuits have come out on this issue, and it’s certainly not what the Medicaid law intends or says.”
The court’s ruling deviates from decisions made in every other case where state efforts to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood have been brought before a federal court, including decisions issued by the 5th, 7th, and 9th circuits as well as numerous district courts. All have ruled against state’s efforts to withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood.