Supreme Court Will Allow States to Defund Planned Parenthood

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the court’s opinion that Medicaid patients cannot sue a state that denies them from choosing Planned Parenthood as their preferred health provider.

Supreme Court
Alex Brandon/AP

States can remove Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, saying that individuals on Medicaid cannot sue if a state denies them access to their chosen health care provider.

The 6-3 opinion paves the way for other Republican states to ban Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs without repercussion.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court’s opinion that it is “rare” for any statute to “confer an enforceable right” and “spending-power statutes like Medicaid are especially unlikely to do so.”