Federal Appeals Court Upholds Defunding of Planned Parenthood
The battle over federal funding for Planned Parenthood has taken a new turn as a federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to restrict Medicaid funding to the organization. This decision overturns a previous ruling from a lower court.
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit’s three-judge panel issued an order that intervenes against two district court injunctions that had previously protected Planned Parenthood’s access to Medicaid funds.
The official order stated, “We denied without prejudice as premature the defendants’ motion to stay the injunctions pending the disposition of those appeals, while a motion for similar relief was pending in the district court.” It further mentioned, “The July 21, 2025, preliminary injunction and the July 28, 2025, preliminary injunction are hereby stayed pending disposition of the respective appeals.”
This ruling also allowed requests from the state of Louisiana and the American Center for Law & Justice to submit amicus briefs supporting the decision.
Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson expressed concern in a statement, stating, “Patients who rely on the essential health care that Planned Parenthood health centers provide, can’t plan for their futures, decide where they go for care, or control their lives, bodies, and futures — all because the Trump administration and its backers want to attack Planned Parenthood and shut down health centers.”
On the other side, Operation Rescue President Troy Newman welcomed the ruling, remarking in a statement that he was “thankful” for the reversal of the lower court’s decision. Newman commented, “Planned Parenthood is quickly running out of friends in high and dark places, and we praise God for it. Over 40 Planned Parenthoods have already closed — we expect that number to grow over the coming weeks, and we’ll celebrate every one.”
This development follows President Donald Trump signing the Big Beautiful Bill Act earlier this year, which included a temporary halt on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and limited funding for entities that perform abortions.
In response, Planned Parenthood, along with its affiliates in Massachusetts and Utah, filed a lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts partially blocked this provision, arguing that the law imposed unconstitutional conditions on Planned Parenthood’s First Amendment rights.
Talwani wrote, “Plaintiffs are likely to succeed in establishing that the law impermissibly conditions the receipt of Medicaid funding on these Members foregoing their right to associate with Planned Parenthood Federation and other Members.” She further explained that the restrictions imposed by the statute infringed on the associational rights of those not directly involved in abortion services.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
