U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, swiftly issued a Temporary Restraining Order on the same day Planned Parenthood filed its lawsuit, blocking the provision for 14 days and ordering the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) to “take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed” to Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood alleges in its lawsuit that Congress targeted Planned Parenthood out of other abortion providers in how it wrote the provision, which bars Medicaid funding for one year. While the provision does not explicitly name Planned Parenthood, the organization is the only abortion provider that falls under the restrictions outlined in the bill.
Planned Parenthood also argued that having its Medicaid funding cut off would have “devastating effects” on the organization. Planned Parenthood has claimed that nearly 200 of its clinics are becoming “at risk of closure” because of the defunding measure.
“Many Planned Parenthood Members will be required to lay off staff and curtail services, with serious adverse consequences for the many patients served at those centers even if they do not use Medicaid to access services. Worse still, Members may be forced to shutter a substantial number of their health centers nationwide, many of which are in rural or underserved areas without alternative providers,” the lawsuit reads.
Defunding abortion providers through the reconciliation process allowed the Senate to bypass the critical 60-vote threshold for a simple majority vote, instead capitalizing on Republicans’ overall trifecta. While federal funding for abortions is barred by the Hyde Amendment — except in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother — pro-life opponents argue no federal funds should be used to prop up any organization that performs abortions.
Planned Parenthood and its affiliates said in a statement that they are grateful the court “acted swiftly to block this unconstitutional law attacking Planned Parenthood providers and patients,” CBS News reported.
A White House official told the outlet in response to the ruling: “The Trump Administration is ending the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion – a commonsense position that the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with.”
Pro-life advocates and conservative lawmakers quickly reacted to the order as well, calling it “an abuse of judicial power.”
“Unless I’m missing something, this is an abuse of judicial power,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said in a post to X.
“And unless there’s more to the story here, I suspect the House Judiciary Committee will consider articles of impeachment,” he added.
“An unelected judge has no authority to override the will of 77 MILLION Americans who voted to defund Planned Parenthood,” Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) joined in. “Last time I checked, the Constitution gives Congress, not activist judges, the power of the purse. This abuse of power must be stopped.”
“A federal judge in Massachusetts just blocked the Big Beautiful Bill provision defunding Planned Parenthood,” Live Action President Lila Rose responded. “Unjust judicial activism that should be immediately overruled by higher courts.”
Last month, the Supreme Court separately ruled that South Carolina could block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds, finding that Planned Parenthood could not sue the state under a civil rights law.
The case is Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., No. 1:25-cv-11913 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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