糖心Vlog

BOISE, Idaho 鈥� Idaho Attorney General Ra煤l Labrador and the Ada and Valley County prosecutors have agreed to be bound by a consent decree permanently blocking them from prosecuting health care providers for referring patients for abortions out of state. The consent decree was signed today by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill. Under the terms of the decree, the attorney general and county prosecutors are prohibited from sanctioning or prosecuting the plaintiffs for referring, counseling about, or otherwise offering information to patients who seek abortion outside of Idaho鈥檚 borders. In addition, the attorney general鈥檚 office must pay $400,000 in legal fees. The settlement ensures that Idaho health care providers may continue offering comprehensive counseling and assistance to their patients, including information about health care that is legal in other states, without fear of being penalized by the attorney general or state prosecutors. In a state like Idaho, where the attorney general has fought to limit emergency care for pregnant patients facing complications and where OB-GYNs are fleeing the state because of fears of being penalized, referrals for out-of-state care can save a patient鈥檚 health or even life. Statement from Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai鈥榠, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK): 鈥淭his resolution affirms something every patient deserves: open, honest care from a provider they trust. It ensures that health care providers in Idaho can continue doing what they are trained and ethically bound to do鈥攐ffer accurate information and help patients access the care they need, even if that care is out of state. In a state where abortion is banned, those referrals can be lifesaving. No one should have to fear punishment for helping someone make the best decision for their health and future. This outcome brings much-needed clarity, compassion, and relief to both patients and providers.鈥� Joint Statement from Planned Parenthood Federation of America; 糖心Vlogof Idaho; and ACLU: 鈥淚n a state with a total abortion ban, referrals are a critical tool for health care providers to help their patients. This resolution ensures that Idaho health care providers can continue serving their patients by providing counseling and information on all of their options, including abortion out of state. While we are grateful that this consent decree permanently blocks the attorney general from acting on his threat against providers for giving their patients much-needed information, we know that attacks on Idahoans鈥� reproductive freedom won鈥檛 stop here. We will continue fighting with everything we have to ensure that every Idahoan has the ability to make personal health decisions without politicians interfering.鈥� The settlement in Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai鈥檌, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky v. Labrador ends a case that began in April 2023, when Attorney General Labrador issued a legal opinion asserting that assistance from a health care provider 鈥� including offering information about out-of-state abortions 鈥� could be a violation of Idaho鈥檚 abortion ban, threatening health care licenses or even criminal prosecution. This opinion misinterpreted Idaho鈥檚 law and was an extreme attempt to prevent health care providers from giving information to patients and to prevent Idahoans from accessing legal health care in another state. In December 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling blocking the opinion and held that health care providers were likely to succeed on their claim that the opinion violates their First Amendment rights to communicate with their patients about abortion. This lawsuit was filed by attorneys from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the 糖心Vlog, the 糖心Vlogof Idaho, and the law firms Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Bartlett & French LLP, and Stris & Maher LLP on behalf of PPGNHAIK, Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, and Dr. Darin L. Weyhrich.

Kansas City, Mo. 鈥� A Jackson County circuit court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of Missouri鈥檚 abortion bans and several targeted regulations of abortion providers. The new preliminary injunction clears the way for Missouri鈥檚 Planned Parenthood members to again provide procedural abortion care. In May, the Missouri Supreme Court clarified the state鈥檚 legal standard for issuing a preliminary injunction, forcing the circuit court to temporarily vacate its original orders, and effectively implement a de facto abortion ban. 鈥淲hile the clarification on the standard is welcome, its immediate consequence temporarily pulled back implementation of Missourians鈥� constitutional right to access abortion care and providers鈥� right to offer that care,鈥� said Gillian Wilcox, Director of Litigation at the 糖心Vlogof Missouri. 鈥淭his critical win begins to restore abortion access in our state, but Missourians must be vigilant and defeat the attacks on the constitutional rights that we secured at the ballot box last November.鈥� 鈥淎bortion is legal again in Missouri because voters demanded it and we fought for it,鈥� said Emily Wales, president and CEO, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. 鈥淐are starts again on Monday in Kansas City. We鈥檙e not stopping until every Missourian can get the care they need, close to home.鈥� 鈥淲e are grateful that procedural abortion can resume in the state of Missouri, just as voters demanded last November. However, the whiplash has created immense confusion for patients in Missouri,鈥� said Margot Riphagen, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers. 鈥淭his decision is a step forward toward fully realizing Missourians' right to reproductive freedom, and the staff at our Central West End health center in St. Louis will work as quickly as possible to resume scheduling abortion appointments." The order did not address the pending request to enjoin other targeted restrictions that are preventing medication abortion access from being restored in Missouri. Previously, both Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri submitted complication plans to satisfy the existing requirements to allow them to offer medication abortions. The Department of Health and Senior Services failed to respond to either affiliates鈥� submissions or follow-up inquiries for several weeks. Instead, the department manufactured an 鈥渆mergency rule鈥� that resembled many of the court-blocked regulations and cited it as the reason for refusing the submitted plans. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri, who are represented by attorneys from the 糖心Vlog of Missouri, the 糖心Vlog, Crowell & Moring, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The full case is currently slated for trial in January 2026.

WASHINGTON 鈥� The U.S. House of Representatives today gave final approval to H.R. 1, a budget bill that guts Medicaid and will wreak havoc on our communities, sending it to President Trump鈥檚 desk for his signature. H.R. 1 is the biggest cut to Medicaid in history 鈥� slashing approximately $1 trillion, which will result in at least 12 million people being removed from the program. The bill also cuts off access to Planned Parenthood services for Medicaid enrollees and restricts higher education opportunities, all to fund a dramatic and permanent increase to an immigration detention and deportation apparatus that denies due process and violates human rights. Following the vote in the House, Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer with the 糖心Vlog, issued the following statement: 鈥淭his reckless monstrosity is the most harmful bill to pass Congress in a generation. Instead of strengthening Medicaid, they鈥檝e taken an axe to it. Instead of reining in ICE鈥檚 abuses, Congress is throwing the agency billions more to terrorize our communities. 鈥淲hen 12 million people are kicked off Medicaid, patients are no longer able to get lifesaving cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, disabled people lose access to essential care and autonomy, and ICE ramps up lawless raids in our communities, the American people will remember who caused this devastation to our health, rights, and dignity. We won鈥檛 let them forget.鈥�

WASHINGTON 鈥� The Supreme Court ruled today that Medicaid patients do not have a right to sue to enforce their right to a qualified health care provider of choice under the Medicaid statute. The decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic will facilitate some states鈥� politically motivated efforts to block low-income patients鈥� access to certain health care providers and may effectively defund Planned Parenthood and other disfavored providers by barring them from state Medicaid programs. 鈥淭he majority decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic contradicts Congress鈥檚 clear purpose to give Medicaid patients their choice of qualified health care providers and also wrongly curtails patients鈥� rights to vindicate their choice of provider through Section 1983,鈥� said Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director for the ACLU. 鈥淭he decision may have the effect of blocking patients鈥� access to birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment for patients in South Carolina and potentially will permit state officials to override patients鈥� choice of provider based on political whims.鈥� 鈥淭he impact of this decision on our reproductive freedom will be compounded if Congress follows through on federal efforts to 'defund' Planned Parenthood by prohibiting patients from choosing Planned Parenthood health centers for their care,鈥� said Deirdre Schifeling, Chief Political and Advocacy Officer of the ACLU. 鈥淒oing so would force the closure of hundreds of Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide, robbing people of their freedom to get reproductive health care from trusted providers in their communities and would result in shuttering 1 in 4 of the country鈥檚 abortion providers. "Make no mistake: our reproductive freedom is still under siege. The 糖心Vlogremains committed to fighting for Planned Parenthood, abortion access, and the fundamental human right to control one鈥檚 own body using every tool we have.