The Quickie: Once Again, Court Rules South Carolina Cannot Block Planned Parenthood From Receiving Medicaid Funds

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: South Carolina still can’t block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds, PPMI is now providing procedural abortion in Grand Rapids, and new polling from navigator.

ONCE AGAIN, COURT RULES SOUTH CAROLINA CANNOT BLOCK PLANNED PARENTHOOD FROM RECEIVING MEDICAID FUNDS: Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit yet again ruled for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s (PPSAT) patients, affirming that South Carolinians who use Medicaid for their insurance have the right to visit any qualified provider who accepts Medicaid — and that PPSAT is one of those providers. Jenny Black, CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic explained what this ruling means for patients seeking care:

“The patients who come to Planned Parenthood health centers for care aren’t doing so to make a political statement. They come to us because we are the provider they know and trust for compassionate, quality, affordable care. Every year, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic serves thousands of South Carolinians, providing lifesaving health care that includes breast and cervical cancer screenings, birth control, and STI testing and treatment.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic is committed to standing up for our patients, and we are grateful that the court once again ruled to protect South Carolinians who are most in need of access to affordable health care. Today we celebrate on behalf of all of those patients who can continue to come to us, their trusted health care provider, for family planning and other preventive care." 

Read more here and more on the case from Reuters here.

 

PLANNED PARENTHOOD MICHIGAN NOW PROVIDING PROCEDURAL ABORTION IN GRAND RAPIDS: Planned Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) is now providing procedural abortions at its Irwin/Martin health center in Grand Rapids. PPMI has stepped up to address West Michigan’s abortion access crisis as the sole provider of procedural abortion in Grand Rapids and one of only two in the region. Since September, patients in West Michigan have had to travel to Kalamazoo, or even out-of-state, to access care. During those months, the Irwin/Martin health center was able to provide medication abortion, but Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws prohibited procedural abortion care, limiting access to this time-sensitive health care. The restrictions were repealed as part of the state’s Reproductive Health Act, which was signed into law late last year and went into effect in early February.

Dr. Sarah Wallett, Chief Medical Operating Officer for Planned Parenthood of Michigan explains: “My patients deserve the freedom to access the full spectrum of abortion care they need without having to travel to another state or even city. We’re grateful that several harmful, politically-motivated restrictions officially ended earlier this month, allowing us the opportunity to better meet the needs of our patients, including Black, LGBTQ, low-income and rural Michiganders – all of whom face additional barriers to accessing care.”

Read more in Michigan Public. 

 

NEW POLLING SHOWS MAJORITIES OF AMERICANS SUPPORT EXPANDING ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES: Today, the Navigator Research Team published new polling that shows majorities of Americans believe birth control pills, fertility planning like IVF, and abortion should be more accessible. Nearly 75% of Americans believe access to birth control pills should be easier and over 50% believe access to abortion should be easier. The polling also shows that the majority of Americans believe the government should stay out of decisions on abortion, and support the Biden administration and Congress taking action to protect abortion this year.

Read the report here and key takeaways here.