The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, a case with enormous consequences for federalism and the future of public funding for abortion.
The question before the justices: Does the Medicaid Act of 1965 give Medicaid recipients the right to sue states in federal court when those states exclude abortion providers from receiving state Medicaid dollars? A divided court peppered the parties’ lawyers with questions on whether the act includes a vehicle to sue, and which words in text of the act might indicate that.
Planned Parenthood Challenges South Carolina
In 2018, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order barring abortion providers from the state’s Medicaid program. His administration argued that any taxpayer funding sent to abortion clinics, even for non-abortion services, inevitably…
