A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to cut Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics, ruling the funding restrictions likely violate the U.S. Constitution.
The big picture: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued the ruling, emphasizing the adverse health consequences patients could face if care is disrupted or unavailable.
- Talwani noted that restricting Planned Parenthood’s ability to provide healthcare services may lead to increased unintended pregnancies, complications related to those pregnancies, and more undiagnosed and untreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Driving the news: The ruling replaces a preliminary injunction granted last week that had blocked Medicaid payment cuts specifically targeting Planned Parenthood clinics that didn’t provide abortion care or that didn’t meet a minimum Medicaid reimbursement threshold of $800,000 annually.
- Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration earlier in the month, challenging the provision in what the administration called the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
- The organization argued that the funding cuts threaten the closure of nearly 200 clinics across 24 states.
- Planned Parenthood estimates that such closures would cause over 1 million patients to lose access to critical healthcare services.
