Good news — in a victory for Planned Parenthood and the women of Indiana, the Supreme Court has chosen not to hear a challenge to a ruling that prohibited the state from withholding Medicaid funds.
The court refused to consider Indiana’s appeal of a lower court decision striking down its denial of Medicaid funds to health care providers that perform abortions. The law was challenged by Planned Parenthood,
While federal law blocks the use of government funds to perform most abortions (with exceptions for rape, incest and woman’s health), the Indiana ban went further by denying Medicaid funds for other purposes as well. In order to receive Medicaid funds, providers would have to create separate entities for their abortion services.
I consider this to be a positive sign that the Supreme Court may also decline to hear the eventual challenge of a lower court ruling handed down last week which blocked Arizona’s 20-week abortion ban.