BOSTON — A federal judge on Monday expanded an injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a new law that cuts Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood and its affiliates nationwide.
District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama nominee, issued the decision early Monday afternoon, broadening a previous, more limited ruling. Her updated order freezes enforcement of a key provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), signed into law by President Trump on July 4.
The provision in question withholds Medicaid reimbursements for one year from any health care nonprofit that both provides elective abortions and received more than $800,000 in Medicaid funds in 2023. The defunding rule would affect roughly 600 clinics in 24 states.
In her ruling, Talwani wrote that the measure will lead to clinic closures that “inevitably will have adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable.”
“In particular, 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,” she continued.
She further argued that the closures would trigger a contraceptive shortage in disadvantaged communities, leading to more unintended pregnancies — and, in turn, more abortions.
Planned Parenthood officials argue the law could force hundreds of clinics to shut down, cutting off access to non-abortion services for more than 1 million patients.
The Washington Examiner continues:
Although the pre-existing Hyde Amendment prohibits any federal spending directly on abortion provision, anti-abortion advocates have long argued that any funding for abortion providers also subsidizes abortion because of the fungibility of money.
According to Planned Parenthood’s 2023-2024 fiscal report, the organization received just shy of $800 million in federal grants or reimbursements, most of which came from Medicaid. The organization also performed more than 400,000 abortions nationwide.
Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration within days of the tax bill being signed, drawing the ire of the Department of Justice.
DOJ chief of staff Chad Mizelle earlier this month derided the temporary injunction as “lawless” and “highly unusual,” considering that the preliminary injunction was granted less than a week after the bill was signed into law.
The latest injunction against Trump’s sweeping domestic agenda has already fueled existing claims of judicial overreach — with critics warning that activist courts are working to undermine the president’s mandate.
DOJ is all but guaranteed to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. If the injunction is upheld, the case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
For now, Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood remain in place as litigation proceeds.
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THE LAW BE DAMED, LET’S RULE ON MY “FEELINGS!”
Is there a reason why you didn’t point out that strict Judge Indira Talwani‘s injunction is in violation of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling barring federal district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions?