POLITICS NEWS – Federal Judge blocks Trump-era policy banning Planned Parenthood Medicaid funds for abortions

Ananya Roy, News Writer

In a major win for reproductive health advocates, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani indefinitely blocked a Trump administration-backed policy that would have stripped Planned Parenthood clinics of federal Medicaid reimbursements if they continued providing abortion services. The now-suspended provision, part of a sprawling policy bill signed earlier this month, sought to impose a one-year ban on Medicaid payments to any nonprofit offering abortions that received over $800,000 in funding in 2023, a threshold Judge Talwani found clearly tailored to target Planned Parenthood. She ruled that the policy violated the First Amendment by retaliating against the organization’s advocacy and constituted a likely unconstitutional form of legislative punishment.

Judge Talwani emphasized that the law would not only disrupt abortion services but also endanger access to essential care like STI testing and family planning, particularly in underserved areas. Her ruling pointed to the undue burden the policy placed on clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood, regardless of whether they performed abortions. In her words, the provision “kneecaps the entire organization” by forcing clinics to either disaffiliate or lose Medicaid funding. While the Trump administration has appealed the decision, the injunction will remain in place for now, reserving critical health services for millions of patients across the country.