The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that South Carolina
has the authority to prohibit Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics,
in a technical interpretation of health care options that has become a larger
political battle over abortion access.
The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic,
concerns whether low-income Medicaid patients can sue under Section 1983 of the
Civil Rights Act of 1871 to choose their qualified health care provider. It
concerns South Carolina's denial of Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood
South Atlantic, which the organization claims violates federal law.
In a 6-3 ruling, the Court stated that the usual punishment
for such a violation would be for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
withdraw the state's Medicaid funding, rather than for an individual to sue.
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