In another shocking blow to the democratic agenda, the Supreme Court ruled this week that South Carolina be allowed to deny state funding to Planned Parenthood. In a solid 6-3 decision, SCOTUS upheld that SC had a right to refuse Medicare patients the opportunity to utilize such coverage at a Planned Parenthood location. While the Hyde Amendment of 1977 already disallows federal funds from being used directly in the pursuit of abortion, the facility Notoriously provides just shy of half of the 1,000,000 abortions carried out each year in the United States. While they claim that no funding is ever used to pay for a termination itself, money is, of course, fungible, and public dollars ultimately support the organization holistically.
One-third of all funding for Planned Parenthood comes from state and federal monies, with the majority of the remainder originating through private donations and private payment for services. Over half of its patients utilize Medicare, making the program a primary source of funds for the organization. Other Republican states are now likely to adopt similar limits, inspired by South Carolina's success. If so, this decision by the Supreme Court could have implications that extend beyond legalities, and Planned Parenthood may ultimately have to close locations or cease operations altogether once the full impact of the loss of revenue is realized.
The ruling comes three years almost to the day after that very same Supreme Court overturned its own 1973 landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade. Despite the initial democratic hysteria, the party shifted course following the 2022 midterm elections, evidently reluctant to debate abortion itself in a post-sonogram era. Additionally, its transition into a state issue made it less compelling fodder for federal contests, as the matter is unlikely to return to congressional hands. Despite President Biden's repeated promises to codify the abortion protections previously offered by Roe V Wade, using the issue to persuade voters before both the midterm 2022 elections and the general in 2024, he was unable to achieve such legislative success.
Although a Democratic Congress passed the Women's Health Protection Act in July 2022, the wildly extreme bill failed to gain traction in the Senate. The proffered legislation disallowed any restrictions at all to be placed by the government on abortion services without reference to fetal viability. President Biden and the Democratic Party declined to pursue any reasonable compromise and were unable to fulfill their promises. Less drastic versions were subsequently introduced post-midterm, but by then, the MAGA tide had turned substantially enough to take the issue off the table.
As Democrats continue to lose ground Both legally and morally in the abortion debate, It should logically occupy a more moderate space on their platform. However, liberal logic often leaves much to be desired. In all likelihood, they will only increase their pursuit of widespread abortion access. In either case, recent elections suggest that Americans are unwilling to make it a primary consideration in their vote.
Do you believe that Planned Parenthood should be able to access federal funds? Can money paid for health services actually be kept separate from that paid for abortions?
Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.