Statement from URGE on Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic Ruling

Statement from Kimberly Inez McGuire, Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, on the Supreme Court’s decision that Medicaid patients cannot sue to enforce their right to see their qualified provider of choice:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a shock and disappointment, allowing politicians to directly interfere with our personal health care decisions. People enrolled in Medicaid, including young people and people of color, already face too many barriers to getting health care, and this decision makes a difficult situation worse.  

The court has sided with those who want to control the bodies and futures of people living at the margins: young people, Black and brown communities, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ folks. These are the same communities already targeted by bans, surveillance, criminalization, and disinvestment. 

It’s abundantly clear that this case was never about patient protection. It was about stripping care away from those who need it most. It was about punishing providers like Planned Parenthood who refuse to back down in the face of political attacks. And it was about using Medicaid—a vital public program—as a tool of control instead of care. 

Everyone should have the ability to make decisions about their health and bodies, supported by providers they trust, regardless of income, identity, or immigration status. This ruling betrays that vision and undermines medical standards in favor of extremist ideology.  

We stand in solidarity with all who are impacted. This decision will not stop us. We will keep organizing, keep agitating, and keep fighting for a future rooted in justice, autonomy, and collective care.”