Pennsylvania Supreme Court Revives Challenge to Medicaid Abortion Ban

The case, brought by abortion providers, could establish a constitutional right to abortion in the state, signaling a potential shift in the legal landscape following the overturning of Roe v Wade.

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ruled that a lower court must hear a case challenging a ban on the use of government-funded healthcare to pay for abortions, overturning a previous decision to dismiss the case.
The case, brought by abortion providers, argues that the decades-old state law barring Medicaid from covering abortions violates the broader rights guaranteed by the state constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment.
Two of the justices wrote that abortion is a “fundamental right” under Pennsylvania’s constitution, signaling the possibility of a broader ruling if the case makes its way back up to the state’s highest court.
Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion across the country, state courts have been forced to contend with legal questions around access to the procedure.
The lower court will now decide the constitutionality of the 1982 law barring the use of Medicaid to pay for abortions.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

The New Republic