Staff Reports
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that South Carolina can continue to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. This decision is a victory for pro-life advocates, and it means that the state can now move forward with its efforts to defund the organization.
In 2018, Republican governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina signed an executive order that sought to defund Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program of the state. But, Julie Edwards, a patient of the organization, sued to challenge the order.
The Supreme Court ruled that Medicaid recipients do not have the right to sue to stop South Carolina from excluding abortion providers from its qualified programs list. As a result, pro-life South Carolina officials should be permitted to determine that these entities are not qualified to participate in taxpayer-funded healthcare.
The issue is that Congress did not explicitly provide a right for people receiving Medicaid to challenge the decisions of their state governments.
The law firm that represented Robert Kerr, South Carolina's director of the health and human services department, said that they were pleased with the Supreme Court's decision. According to them, Congress did not intend for federal courts to have the power to second-guess the decisions of state officials regarding which healthcare providers should be included in the Medicaid program.
Judge Blocks South Carolina Governor’s Order to Defund Planned Parenthood https://t.co/WbOvnyuJrl pic.twitter.com/ZMicl3Jqx3
— Stop Abortion Now (@LifeNewsToo) August 30, 2018
The victory for pro-life activists is just the start of a larger battle against abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood. In South Carolina, the state and Planned Parenthood are still fighting against a new six-week ban on abortion. The Supreme Court of South Carolina will hear the case on June 27.
The Supreme Court's decision is a victory for pro-life groups across the country. They believe that states have the right to decide which healthcare providers should be prioritized over those that perform abortions.
Source: Conservative Institute
