Maryland Attorney General Joins Legal Fight Against Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown is part of a coalition of 21 state attorneys general who have filed a legal brief challenging federal efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers. This action supports an ongoing lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit concerning what the coalition describes as unlawful attempts by the Trump administration to withhold federal Medicaid funding from these facilities. The measure at the heart of the dispute, known as the Defund Provision, was enacted as part of the Big Beautiful Bill Act and prohibits federal funding for essential medical services provided by entities deemed “prohibited.” Critics contend that the criteria for this designation were specifically designed to target Planned Parenthood, thereby punishing the organization for its provision of and advocacy for abortion care.

The Defund Provision has the potential to impact approximately 200 Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide, jeopardizing access to care for over 1.1 million individuals. Many of these patients, according to the coalition, may face significant difficulties in finding alternative providers for their healthcare needs. The attorneys general argue that the federal government is politicizing access to critical medical services, and they are committed to opposing any measures that strip essential health services from those who rely on them.

This latest legal filing builds upon previous actions taken by Maryland. In July, Attorney General Brown joined a group of 23 states in initiating a lawsuit against the Trump administration concerning the Defund Provision. A motion for a preliminary injunction was subsequently filed in September, and that case is presently before the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A parallel challenge was also brought forth by Planned Parenthood. The District Court had previously issued a preliminary injunction, temporarily halting the enforcement of the Defund Provision. This initial ruling found that Planned Parenthood had demonstrated a substantial likelihood of prevailing on its claims that the provision violated constitutional protections, including the First Amendment, the Equal Protection clause, and the prohibition against bills of attainder. The amicus brief filed today aims to bolster this preliminary injunction, emphasizing the detrimental consequences the Defund Provision could have on the participating states and their residents.

Planned Parenthood serves as the largest provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services in the United States. The brief highlights that for many individuals, particularly in rural and underserved areas, Planned Parenthood is often the sole accessible provider of such services, as many other healthcare providers do not accept Medicaid patients. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, Planned Parenthood reported providing a wide array of services across the country, including nearly 425,000 cancer screenings and prevention services, over 2.2 million contraceptive services, and more than 4.1 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, they offered primary care visits, pregnancy tests, and prenatal services, totaling approximately 9.45 million services nationwide. A smaller fraction of these services, around 400,000, were related to abortion care, and it is noted that Planned Parenthood does not receive federal funding for abortion services.

The brief also points out that in many states, existing healthcare providers may not possess the capacity to absorb the large patient volume currently served by Planned Parenthood health centers. Furthermore, it suggests that if states were to fully reimburse Planned Parenthood for all Medicaid services using their own funds, it could strain state budgets, particularly at a time when many states are already contending with significant federal funding reductions.

In addition to Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, the amicus brief was joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

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