A network of abortion facilities in Maine recently sued the Trump administration over a provision of the Big Beautiful Bill Act that protects federal funds from being used for abortions.
AP News reported that Maine Family Planning filed the lawsuit last month and asked Judge Lance Walker Thursday to restore its Medicaid funding. As CatholicVote previously reported, Trump’s act cuts federal funding for one year to abortion providers. While the act mainly affects Planned Parenthood, other providers are also seeking to challenge the provision.
Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary restraining order July 7 against the provision, requiring the US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to continue disbursing funds as usual while the abortion giant’s lawsuit against the Trump administration plays out. However, her order only affected Planned Parenthood’s funding cuts, and did not apply to other abortion providers.
According to the Maine Morning Star, Maine Family Planning has 18 locations across the state. The provider has said that unless it continues receiving federal funding, it will stop seeing patients who use Medicaid as soon as Oct. 31. The organization currently receives about $1.9 million per year through the reimbursements.
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The provider argues that it should continue to qualify for federal funding, as it also provides primary care, cancer screenings, and other health services unrelated to abortion.
AP News reported that Emily Hall, an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, told Walker Thursday, “The rational basis is not simply to reduce the number of abortions, it’s to ensure the federal government is not paying out money to organizations that provide abortions.”
The outlet also reported that Maine Family Planning is the only entity other than Planned Parenthood that has publicly challenged the funding cuts.
LifeNews Note: Hannah Hiester writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.
