California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday the state’s 36th lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration in 27 weeks.This lawsuit challenges a provision in the budget reconciliation law that Trump signed this month that impacts Planned Parenthood. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” provision ends Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023 and are primarily engaged in family planning services and reproductive health. Bonta called the legislation a “backdoor abortion ban” that targets all of Planned Parenthood’s services because of its advocacy efforts. “Let me be clear: Federal funds don’t pay for abortions,” Bonta said in a statement. “This provision is purely retaliation against Planned Parenthood for its constitutionally protected advocacy for abortion care. The President and Congress are implementing a cruel, backdoor abortion ban through this provision, putting their political agendas over people’s lives.”In a virtual press conference with Bonta, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California CEO and President Jodi Hicks said that the funding cuts disproportionately impact Californians with low incomes, along with those who are people of color or in the LGBTQ community. One in four women in California have been to a Planned Parenthood health center and nearly 80% of the organization’s patients are on Medicaid, she said. Planned Parenthood’s services besides abortion include screening for sexually transmitted infections and cancer, birth control, and prenatal care in some cases.In California, 109 clinics serve about 700,000 patients each year. The organization said it already had to close five clinics last week. The new lawsuit argues that the defunding provision violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments by retaliating against Planned Parenthood. It also argues that some of the specific language in the bill is ambiguous and violates Congress’ spending powers. It comes a day after a federal judge ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood over a separate lawsuit the organization filed to challenge being cut off from Medicaid reimbursements. Asked why California is pursuing its own lawsuit, Bonta said that “California has been hurt too” and that his lawsuit offers different constitutional claims than Planned Parenthood’s.The new lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts Tuesday on behalf of 22 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday the state’s 36th lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration in 27 weeks.
This lawsuit challenges a provision in the budget reconciliation law that Trump signed this month that impacts Planned Parenthood. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” provision ends Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023 and are primarily engaged in family planning services and reproductive health.
Bonta called the legislation a “backdoor abortion ban” that targets all of Planned Parenthood’s services because of its advocacy efforts.
“Let me be clear: Federal funds don’t pay for abortions,” Bonta said in a statement. “This provision is purely retaliation against Planned Parenthood for its constitutionally protected advocacy for abortion care. The President and Congress are implementing a cruel, backdoor abortion ban through this provision, putting their political agendas over people’s lives.”
In a virtual press conference with Bonta, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California CEO and President Jodi Hicks said that the funding cuts disproportionately impact Californians with low incomes, along with those who are people of color or in the LGBTQ community.
One in four women in California have been to a Planned Parenthood health center and nearly 80% of the organization’s patients are on Medicaid, she said.
Planned Parenthood’s services besides abortion include screening for sexually transmitted infections and cancer, birth control, and prenatal care in some cases.
In California, 109 clinics serve about 700,000 patients each year. The organization said it already had to close five clinics last week.
The new lawsuit argues that the defunding provision violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments by retaliating against Planned Parenthood.
It also argues that some of the specific language in the bill is ambiguous and violates Congress’ spending powers.
It comes a day after a federal judge ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood over a separate lawsuit the organization filed to challenge being cut off from Medicaid reimbursements.
Asked why California is pursuing its own lawsuit, Bonta said that “California has been hurt too” and that his lawsuit offers different constitutional claims than Planned Parenthood’s.
The new lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts Tuesday on behalf of 22 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel