A federal judge temporarily blocked a one-year Medicaid funding ban on Planned Parenthood, which was part of President Trump's tax and spending package, after a lawsuit argued the provision was unconstitutional. The group claims the ban aims to punish and attack Planned Parenthood, potentially affecting over 1 million Medicaid patients who rely on its services. The case is ongoing, and the court's order prevents the funding cutoff while legal proceedings continue.
Planned Parenthood will resume offering abortion services in Wisconsin on Monday, following a judge's ruling that the 1849 law, widely interpreted as a near-complete abortion ban, does not apply to abortions. The organization's announcement comes as a judge appears likely to issue an order prohibiting prosecutors from going after abortion providers under the 1849 law. Planned Parenthood clinics will operate under Wisconsin laws that ban abortions 20 weeks after "probable fertilization" and impose various restrictions, including ultrasounds, counseling periods, and waiting periods. Anti-abortion advocates are incensed by the decision, while abortion rights supporters see it as a significant win.
The Women's Health Center of West Virginia, the state's only abortion provider, is now seeking to open a syringe service program for drug users, as abortion providers across the country pivot or expand services post-Roe. The proposal faces opposition from those who believe it will enable addiction, while supporters argue that harm reduction services are crucial in mitigating the health impacts of intravenous drug use. West Virginia has the highest rate of opioid overdoses in the US, and the syringe service program aims to curb the spread of infection and offer referrals to counseling and substance use disorder treatment. Critics argue that such programs don't do enough to prevent drug use, despite CDC research showing that people with syringe service are more likely to recover. The Women's Health Center is already providing other reproductive care and harm reduction services, such as wound care and substance use disorder treatment referrals.
