In a major pro-life victory, a federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with cutting Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, reversing a lower court’s decision that had temporarily blocked the action. The unanimous ruling from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, including three judges appointed by President Biden, clears the way for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s defunding provision to take full effect.
The law, passed by a Republican-led Congress and signed by President Trump on July 4, prohibits Medicaid funds from going to any organization that performs abortions and received over $800,000 in federal funding in 2023. Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, stands to lose millions.
This decision follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6–3 ruling in Medina v. Planned Parenthood, which affirmed states’ rights to exclude abortion providers from Medicaid programs. Pro-life leaders are celebrating the latest ruling as a step toward ending taxpayer-funded support for abortion.