A federal appeals court panel on Thursday lifted a lower court’s injunction blocking a provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that prevents Medicaid reimbursements to abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood.
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit granted a stay pending appeal of an injunction that had blocked the provision of President Donald Trump’s signature legislation. The three judges, all appointees of former President Joe Biden, did not provide a detailed reasoning for lifting the district court’s injunction.
The provision of the OBBB Act prevents Medicaid reimbursements for healthcare providers that receive more than $800,000 annually in funds from the program and that also provide abortion services. The provision is only set to last one year, but its inclusion was a significant victory for anti-abortion advocates.
The provision was blocked by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, who claimed the law would lead to a closure of clinics and have “adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable.” The First Circuit panel paused Talwani’s order on Thursday.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson called Thursday’s ruling “a blow” but vowed to continue the lawsuit in court.
“With this decision, patients and providers are in limbo. 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,” Johnson said in a statement.
“This is a blow, but the fight isn’t over. For over 100 years, Planned Parenthood has faced unrelenting attacks, but we’re still here providing care, information, and resources. We will continue to fight this unconstitutional law, even though this court has allowed it to impact patients,” she added.
Anti-abortion advocates celebrated the ruling, with SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser praising the First Circuit’s decision and vowing that the provision will survive the court challenge.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD MYSTERY: WHY MEGABILL DEFUNDING WAS SHORTENED TO JUST A YEAR
“We are pleased the 1st Circuit has shut down Big Abortion’s desperate money grab,” Dannenfelser said in a statement Thursday. “The American people, through Congress, spoke clearly with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
“Taxpayers should not be forced to spend a dime funding a brutal industry that ends at least 1.1 million lives a year, harms women while providing dwindling, substandard health care services, and engages in partisan political activism – especially when more accessible, more comprehensive options outnumber Planned Parenthoods 15 to 1. We are confident the Trump administration will prevail against the abortion industry’s lawfare,” Dannenfelser added.