A federal judge blocked the enforcement of a provision in the current administration’s recent tax and spending bill that would cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and its members, ruling it was likely unconstitutional.
This ruling follows a preliminary injunction specifically blocking Medicaid cuts to Planned Parenthood issued by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston last week. Judge Talwani wrote in her order, “…restricting Members’ ability to provide healthcare services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs.”
The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” passed by Congress, stripped Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements if they continued to provide abortions. The US Department of Justice argued that “the bill stops federal subsidies for Big Abortion” and strongly urged Judge Talwani to maintain the funding restriction.
Despite political backlash, Judge Talwani ruled this provision unconstitutional under two rationales. First, the provision’s text covered every member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, transforming it into an unconstitutional “bill of attainder,” an act of Congress that inflicts punishments without trial. The wording of the provision gives plaintiffs standing to claim that Congress targeted them with punitive intent.
Secondly, Talwani ruled that the law violated Planned Parenthood members’ equal protection rights under the Fifth Amendment. Due to the law applying broadly to all Planned Parenthood locations rather than being narrowly focused, it effectively singles out the organization.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields called the ruling “not only absurd but illogical and incorrect.” The administration is already appealing Talwani’s ruling. The current administration continues to support the defunding of Planned Parenthood, claiming that “states should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care.”
Taxpayer money is already prohibited from covering most abortions. As a result, the law harms other services by Planned Parenthood, such as cancer screenings and STI treatments and tests. For now, Judge Talwani’s decision preserves access to Planned Parenthood’s essential healthcare services, but the administration’s appeal ensures the fight over funding and reproductive rights is far from over.
