- A federal judge extended an injunction blocking Medicaid fund restrictions for Planned Parenthood.
- The injunction follows a lawsuit by the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah against the Trump administration.
- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani noted Planned Parenthood's likely success in the ongoing legal battle.
SALT LAKE CITY — A federal judge extended an order blocking part of the recent spending bill that prevents Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood clinics, after the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah sued the Trump administration over the policy.
Planned Parenthood is known as an abortion provider, but clinics provide a wide array of sexual and reproductive health care, some of which has been eligible for coverage under Medicaid. That changed after President Donald Trump signed the recent Republican tax and spending megabill, which includes a provision barring Medicaid payments from going to Planned Parenthood.
It's already illegal to use federal funds to pay for abortions, but Planned Parenthood Association of Utah sued the White House days after the bill was signed, saying the restriction of funds is meant to punish the organization for advocating for abortion rights. The Utah organization joined with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts in the lawsuit.
Portions of the law were temporarily paused on July 7, and U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani extended that order on Monday, according to CNN. Under the order, the administration will not be allowed to block funding to Planned Parenthood members in states with abortion bans, or those who received less than $800,000 in Medicaid payments in 2023.
Utah Planned Parenthood celebrated the decision, but said it hoped future orders would pause the funding block for all Planned Parenthood members impacted by the spending bill.
"This isn't over. While we're grateful that the court recognized the harm caused by this law, we're disappointed that not all members were granted the necessary relief today," the organization said in a joint statement with its fellow plaintiffs. "Patients across the country should be able to go to their trusted Planned Parenthood provider for birth control, cancer screenings and STI testing and treatment. This is about patients and their right to get care — no matter their insurance."
"There will be nothing short of a public health crisis if Planned Parenthood members are allowed to be 'defunded,'" they continued.
The spending bill doesn't call out Planned Parenthood clinics by name, but the plaintiffs argued that the text effectively singles them out by only applying to nonprofit clinics that received $800,000 or more from Medicaid in 2023. It said other clinics that provide abortion care in addition to other treatments would still be allowed to receive payments from Medicaid.
The lawsuit still has to make its way through the courts, but Talwani said she believed Planned Parenthood was likely to win its case.
"Instead of merely prohibiting Planned Parenthood members that received Medicaid funds from providing abortions, the statute prohibits them from affiliating with entities that do," she wrote in her order. "Moreover, the record is devoid of evidentiary support for defendants' suggestion that Planned Parenthood entities share funds that are ultimately used for abortions. Therefore, restricting funds based on affiliation with an abortion provider operates only to restrict the associational right of members that do not provide abortion."
