The 6-3 decision reversed an earlier appeals court ruling against South Carolina’s bid to defund the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the majority opinion in Medina v. Planned Parenthood. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Dissenting were justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
The Court ruled that Medicaid functions as a contract between the states and federal government, and as such, the “any-qualified-provider” provision does not confer a clear and unambiguous individual right.
Pro-life groups expressed gratitude that the Supreme Court recognized the right of states to direct taxpayer dollars toward life-affirming healthcare providers.
The case centered on South Carolina’s decision to terminate Planned Parenthood South Atlantic from its Medicaid program due to its involvement in abortions.
Planned Parenthood, which operated two facilities in the state, filed a lawsuit along with a patient, with a federal district court blocking state enforcement of the order.
The decision also signals that states are increasingly empowered to enact and defend laws that protect unborn children and support life-affirming alternatives to abortion.