WASHINGTON, D.C. (MPG) – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic on March 26, a case about whether states like South Carolina can disqualify Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid funds. Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief in the case, as did the federal government, 18 states, pro-life advocates in Congress, and medical professionals across South Carolina. The case could decide a circuit court split and set a legal precedent regarding how much sovereignty a state has over directing federal Medicaid funds. The decision could either allow states to defund and weaken the abortion industry, or require pro-life states to keep subsidizing abortion access.

Oral Argument will begin on Wednesday, April 2 at 10 a.m. EST. The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision no later than the end of June 2025.

In pro-life South Carolina, state law prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions. Medina arose after Governor Henry McMaster signed an executive order in 2018 deeming abortion clinics unqualified to receive state Medicaid funding under the state law. Under the Medicaid Act, states must grant beneficiaries the right to choose “any qualified provider” from a pool of providers the state has deemed qualified. Shortly thereafter, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and one of its Medicaid clients challenged the executive order claiming the Medicaid Act’s “any qualified provider” language gives clients a right to choose any specific medical provider.