What will the Supreme Court's Planned Parenthood ruling mean in Minnesota?
A major decision by the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday morning involving Planned Parenthood in South Carolina could have a ripple effect across the country.
Legal experts say the ruling means that states will have the right to block Planned Parenthood's access to federal Medicaid funding for non-abortion services. That includes birth control, cancer screenings, reproductive care and more.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic was suing South Carolina for blocking the funding, but the high court ruled in the state's favor in a 6-3 vote.
WCCO reached out to Planned Parenthood North Central States, which covers Minnesota, to see if there's concern that Medicaid patients here might face the same restrictions. They said that, as of Thursday, nothing will change in Minnesota for the 22,000 patients who sought care using Medicaid.
"We want our patients to know that they will be able to continue to get care here in Minnesota under Medicaid, and we are doing everything that we can to live up to our commitment to provide care and adapt in this ever-shifting environment," said Ruth Richardson, president of Planned Parenthood North Central. "There's a lot of uncertainty in this moment, that is for sure with this manufactured chaos that we continue to see, and it seems to be ever-increasing in many ways. But the commitment and one thing we can rely on at this point is that we are continuing to see patients and we're going to be unwavering within that commitment."
Last month, Planned Parenthood announced that four clinics would close in Minnesota, including two in the Twin Cities, due to a freeze in federal funding and budget cuts proposed in Congress. It's unclear if this new Supreme Court decision could impact more clinics.
The dispute before the high court did not involve abortion, but it comes as several Republican-led states push to block Planned Parenthood from receiving any Medicaid funds.
