Judge partially blocks provision in Trump's big bill to defund Planned Parenthood
July 22 (UPI) -- A federal judge has issued a partial block of a provision in President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending cuts bill that sought to defund Planned Parenthood.
Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts had earlier this month issued a temporary restraining order against the so-called defund provision of the bill, on Monday made it a partial preliminary injunction as the case continues.
In her order on Monday, Talwani said Planned Parenthood had demonstrated "a substantial likelihood of success" in its First Amendment argument against the provision.
Trump's policy bill, which passed Congress on July 3, enacts a one-year ban on Medicaid payments to healthcare nonprofits that provide abortion services and that received more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in fiscal year 2023.
Planned Parenthood argued that the provision's purpose was to specifically "punish" them for advocating for and providing legal abortion access outside of the Medicaid program and without using federal funds.
They also argued that it punishes Planned Parenthood members who do not provide abortions because of their association with the main organization and its advocacy for the medical procedure.
"Instead of merely prohibiting Planned Parenthood members that receive Medicaid funds from providing abortions, the statute prohibits them from affiliating with entities that do," the President Barack Obama appointee said.
"Moreover, the record is devoid of evidentiary support for defendants' suggestion that Planned Parenthood entities share funds that are ultimately used for abortions."
She continued that "restricting funds based on affiliation with an abortion provider operates only to restrict the associational right of members taht. do not provide abortion."
Planned Parenthood had filed its lawsuit July 7, with Talwani issuing a temporary restraining order against the provision within hours.
Her order on Monday stops short of granting a preliminary injunction to all Planned Parenthood members.
"This isn't over," several Planned Parenthood organizations that filed the lawsuit said in a statement.
"While we're grateful that the court recognized the harm caused by this law, we're disappointed that not all members were granted the necessary relief today. Patients across the country should be able to go to their trusted Planned Parenthood provider for birth control, cancer screenings and STI testing and treatment."
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