The Supreme Court denied a request by Oklahoma on Tuesday to reinstate a $4.5 million federal grant for family planning services after the White House withdrew funding over the state’s refusal to provide pregnant patients with information about abortion options.
The 6-3 decision split the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, according to the court orderwho said that Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas would have sided with Oklahoma.
Legal battles over state abortion restrictions and federal funding have emerged across the country in light of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which gave the green light for several Republican-led states to ban abortion access in all or most cases. All six conservative justices voted to overturn federal protections against abortion in June 2022.
Under regulation under the Department of Health and Human Services, family planning clinics cannot use federal funding to pay for abortions, although providers must offer information about the procedure at the patient’s request. Oklahoma argued in a lawsuit that its family planning clinics could not comply with the ordinance because its laws make it a crime for a person to advise or perform an abortion.
The state has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, prohibiting the procedure in almost all circumstances, except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.
This is an evolving story. It will be updated as information becomes available
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