A U.S. federal appeals court has allowed the Donald Trump Administration to implement a budgetary measure that withdraws public funding from Planned Parenthood clinics that perform abortions. The decision affects 22 states governed by the Democratic Party and represents a new judicial setback for the country’s largest abortion network.
The ruling, advanced by Fox News, has been issued by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which has suspended a previous order from a lower court that blocked the measure’s entry into force. With this, the court clears the way for the federal government to execute the funding cut provided for in a recent budget law.
Revocada una decisión favorable a Planned Parenthood
The judicial conflict originated when federal judge Indira Talwani, based in Massachusetts, granted a preliminary injunction requested by several states and Planned Parenthood, preventing the application of the cut. Talwani accepted the argument that Congress had not sufficiently detailed the changes in Medicaid funding, which, according to her interpretation, could violate the Constitution.
However, the appeals court—composed of three judges, all appointed by Democratic presidents—has halted that decision by considering that the plaintiffs’ legal arguments have little chance of succeeding. Moreover, it is the second occasion in which Talwani is overturned after ruling in favor of Planned Parenthood in similar litigations.
What is Medicaid and Why is it at Stake
Medicaid is a federal and state program that funds healthcare for low-income people in the United States. Although it does not directly cover abortion in most cases, Planned Parenthood receives Medicaid funds for other services it provides in its centers, such as gynecological check-ups, sexually transmitted disease tests, or contraception.
The measure approved by Congress—included in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act—establishes that, for one year, certain providers that perform abortions cannot receive Medicaid funds. Former President Trump signed the law on the past July 4, in line with his policy of restricting public funding to abortion organizations.
The States Denounce “Ideological Retaliation”
The plaintiff states, led by California, argue that the funding cut constitutes political retaliation against Planned Parenthood for its public defense of abortion. In their lawsuit, they allege that the organization is being punished for exercising what they consider a constitutional right.
Planned Parenthood, for its part, claims that the withdrawal of funds would force the closure of part of its nearly 600 centers across the country and deprive more than one million people of healthcare services, approximately half of its users. The organization insists that the majority of the services it provides are not related to abortion.
The Stance of the Federal Government
The Trump Administration has defended the legality of the measure by emphasizing that Congress regularly imposes conditions on the use of federal funds and that the states accept those conditions by participating in programs like Medicaid.
In their filings before the court, the lawyers from the Department of Justice argued that it is an “ordinary” budgetary restriction, similar to many others included in each fiscal cycle. They also recalled that the law does not prohibit Planned Parenthood’s activity, but rather limits its access to public money.
A Debate with a Moral Dimension
Beyond the judicial course of the case, the court’s decision once again raises a fundamental issue that transcends the American debate. It is not just a budgetary conflict, but rather determining whether the State should continue to finance, directly or indirectly, organizations whose main activity includes the elimination of human lives in their early stages.