On Monday, shortly Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over President Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill defunding the abortion giant, a leftist Massachusetts federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama blocked the provision in the bill.
The budget bill freezes Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani approved the request by Planned Parenthood to stop the Medicaid funding cuts to Planned Parenthood that were part of the bill, issuing a temporary restraining order.
“Defendants, their agents, employees, appointees, successors, and anyone acting in concert or participation with Defendants are hereby enjoined from enforcing, retroactively enforcing, or otherwise applying the provisions of Section 71113 of “An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14,” against Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members; Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Planned Parenthood of Utah,” Talwani wrote, adding:
Defendants, their agents, employees, appointees, successors, and anyone acting in concert or participation with Defendants shall take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and timeframes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members; Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Planned Parenthood of Utah.
The temporary restraining order is in effect for two weeks.
“Talwani’s ruling still allows the administration to enforce the provision against other providers, but Planned Parenthood says it comprises almost the entirety of the impacted entities,” The Hill noted.
In 2024, Planned Parenthood’s annual report acknowledged the organization had performed a mind-numbing 392,715 abortions between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022. That represented a 5% increase over the year before, when 374,155 abortions were performed. Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022.
“The document says that locations in states ‘where abortion is protected’ saw a 700% increase in demand,” the Catholic News Agency reported. “The report also said that Planned Parenthood helped to refer and coordinate travel for over 33,000 abortions.”
In late June, the Supreme Court ruled that lower courts do not have the unilateral authority to block President Trump’s agenda. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who wrote the opinion for the majority, stated, “federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them.”