Pennsylvania Governor Sues Trump Administration Over Planned Parenthood Defunding
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has signed onto a lawsuit with 21 other states and Washington, D.C. against the federal government, alleging it is illegally blocking Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood and affiliated healthcare providers. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, citing a provision in the recently-passed mega bill that bans Medicaid funding from going to nonprofit healthcare providers primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care, if they received at least $800,000 in Medicaid funds in 2023. The complaint alleges that this provision is too narrow and targets Planned Parenthood clinics, effectively punishing the reproductive health care provider for its abortion rights advocacy.
Key Takeaways:
- The lawsuit was signed onto by 22 states and Washington, D.C., with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro being the only signatory serving as governor or outside of an attorney general's office.
- All signatories are Democrats or working in Democrat-led offices.
- The complaint alleges that the provision in the mega bill is unconstitutional and harms Medicaid recipients who use Planned Parenthood's services.
- Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest single provider of abortions and also a major provider of reproductive health care, with over 2 million patients.
- The provision in the mega bill would block Medicaid funding from going to nonprofit healthcare providers primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care, if they received at least $800,000 in Medicaid funds in 2023.
- A separate lawsuit over the same law filed by Planned Parenthood resulted in an injunction earlier this week, effectively blocking the federal government from enforcing its Medicaid funding ban.
- Attempts to target Planned Parenthood's federal funding have been tried before, including a 2007 effort led by then-Indiana Rep. Mike Pence and a 2017 effort led by Republicans in Congress.
Statistics:
- 2 million, the number of patients that Planned Parenthood serves.
- 22, the number of states and Washington, D.C. that have signed onto the lawsuit.
- 21, the number of states that have signed onto the lawsuit, excluding Pennsylvania.
- 2023, the year in which nonprofit healthcare providers must have received at least $800,000 in Medicaid funds to be subject to the funding ban.
- 1 year, the duration of the funding ban.
Sources:
- https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-passes-massive-tax-break-and-spending-cut-bill-sending-it-trump
- https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/01.%20COMPLAINT.pdf
- https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/facts-figures/annual-report
- https://penncapital-star.com/donate/?oa_referrer=midstorybox
- https://x.com/governorshapiro/status/1950261591506669998
- https://twitter.com/GovernorShapiro/status/1950261591506669998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
- https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/planned-parenthood/C00314617/summary/2022
- https://penncapital-star.com/subscribe
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/19/mike-pence-republicans-defund-planned-parenthood-abortion
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/05/04/planned-parenthood-defunded-for-one-year-under-gop-health-bill/
- https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/22/health/title-x-planned-parenthood-defunding-reax-bn
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-blocks-trumps-efforts-to-defund-planned-parenthood