Planned Parenthood sued Monday to stop the Trump administration from blocking its Medicaid funding under the budget reconciliation act, arguing that the provision violates the U.S. Constitution by singling out the nation’s largest abortion provider.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which has 47 members, and its affiliates in Massachusetts and Utah argued that the defunding section represents a bill of attainder, referring to a legislative act that singles out and punishes a specific party without a judicial finding.
“The clear purpose of the Defund Provision is to categorically prohibit health centers associated with Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements,” said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Even though the measure does not mention Planned Parenthood by name, “it defines ‘prohibited entity’ specifically to target Planned Parenthood,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit, which names Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and