Supreme Court to hear case on Planned Parenthood’s use of tax dollars

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear arguments in South Carolina’s push to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. The state has argued that Medicaid is meant for medical assistance to low-income individuals, not to benefit abortion providers. According to Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the director of South Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, states should have the ability to decide which providers receive state funding. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood on Wednesday argued that federal law prohibits states from intervening in patients’ abilities to choose their own family planning providers. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled against the state three times, choosing each time to retain funding for the abortion provider. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case before the end of its spring session.

What is the history behind the case? South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster in 2018 signed an executive order directing the DHHS to remove abortion providers from the state’s Medicaid provider list. Federal laws prohibit Medicaid from being used to perform abortions except in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. McMaster said he intended to ensure no taxpayer dollars went to abortion providers, regardless of what other services they provide. Planned Parenthood and a Medicaid patient named Julie Edwards sued the state and a district court blocked the order.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to defund the abortion provider.