US Supreme Court to hear South Carolina Planned Parenthood case

COLUMBIA, South Carolina: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed this week to hear South Carolina's bid to cut off public funding to Planned Parenthood in a case that could bolster efforts by conservative-leaning states to deprive the reproductive healthcare and abortion provider of government money.

The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing South Carolina's appeal to stop funding Planned Parenthood South Atlantic through Medicaid, a health program for low-income individuals. South Carolina, led by Republicans, wants to cut off funding because Planned Parenthood provides abortions.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic runs clinics in Charleston and Columbia, offering health services like cancer screenings, physical exams, and abortions. The clinics serve hundreds of Medicaid patients each year. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program, with general rules set by the federal government but managed by individual states.

The Supreme Court's decision to hear the case has raised concerns about people's ability to choose their healthcare provider. Alexis McGill Johnson, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said this decision could impact access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.

John Bursch, a lawyer representing South Carolina, argued that states should have the right to block Medicaid funds from organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide abortions.

This is the third time South Carolina's attempt to defund Planned Parenthood has reached the Supreme Court. In 2020, the Court rejected the state's appeal. In 2023, it ordered a lower court to review the case again based on a new ruling.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending nationwide abortion rights, many states, including South Carolina, have passed laws to ban or restrict abortion. South Carolina's six-week abortion ban was upheld by the state's highest court last year.

In 2018, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Medicaid patient Julie Edwards sued South Carolina after Republican Governor Henry McMaster ordered the state to block Medicaid funding for abortion providers. The lawsuit argues that Medicaid recipients have the right to choose qualified healthcare providers, including Planned Parenthood.

A federal judge ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood, saying Medicaid patients can sue under an 1871 law that allows challenges to illegal actions by state officials. The judge also ruled that South Carolina's decision violated patients' rights.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supported this decision three times, but South Carolina argues that Medicaid, as a federal program, does not clearly give recipients the right to sue state officials. The Supreme Court will now decide on the issue.