Press Releases

10/20/2025

Attorney General Tong Leads Brief Fighting Unlawful Defunding of Planned Parenthood

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, today led a coalition of 21 attorneys general filing an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit supporting Planned Parenthood in its challenge to the Trump Administration’s unlawful efforts to defund its health centers.

The so-called Defund Provision, enacted as part of the Big Beautiful Bill Act, blocks federal Medicaid funding for essential medical services such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and wellness exams provided at “prohibited entities.” The criteria for a “prohibited entity” were crafted so that this Defund Provision applies almost exclusively to Planned Parenthood, fulfilling a long-standing goal of punishing Planned Parenthood for providing and advocating in support of abortion care.

The Defund Provision threatens at least 200 Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide, affecting healthcare for more than 1.1 million people, many of whom are unlikely to be able to receive care elsewhere.

Connecticut joined a coalition of 23 states in July in suing the Trump Administration over the Defund Provision and filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in September. That case is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Planned Parenthood also filed a parallel challenge. The District Court preliminarily enjoined enforcement of the Defund Provision in that case, concluding that Planned Parenthood had demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on their claims that the Defund Provision violated the First Amendment and the Equal Protection clause, as well as the prohibition on Bills of Attainder in the United States Constitution. The brief filed today supports that preliminary injunction, providing the First Circuit with additional evidence of the irreparable injury that implementation of the Defunding Provision would have on the amici States and their citizens.

“Defunding Planned Parenthood to score political points will deny healthcare to more than 1.1 million people nationwide. In many instances, these patients have no other affordable option for cancer screenings, contraception, primary care, pregnancy tests and prenatal care and STI testing and treatment. This is unlawful and deeply hurtful, and we’re fighting on every possible front to stop it,” said Attorney General Tong.

“‘Defunding’ Planned Parenthood is decimating abortion access nationwide and harming the 1.1 million patients with Medicaid insurance who come to Planned Parenthood health centers for care every year, including nearly 25,000 patients here in Connecticut. Planned Parenthood is fighting back in court because everyone should have the freedom to decide who their health care provider is and to get quality, affordable care. We thank Attorney General Tong for filing this amicus brief in support of Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unconstitutional attack on our reproductive freedom,” said Amanda Skinner President & CEO, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England.

Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare in the United States. Because many other providers elect not to accept Medicaid patients, Planned Parenthood is often one of the only providers of reproductive healthcare services in rural and underserved areas, the brief states. In Connecticut, Planned Parenthood provides 72 percent of all sexual and reproductive healthcare for Medicaid patients.

In fiscal year 2023 to 2024, Planned Parenthood provided 9.45 million services across the country, including 425,000 cancer screening and prevention services, 2.2 million contraceptive services, 4.1 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, as well as primary care visits, pregnancy tests and prenatal services. Of those 9.45 million services, Planned Parenthood provided approximately 400,000 abortion services, a small fraction of the services provided to patients. Planned Parenthood receives no federal funding for abortion care.

The brief states that other providers do not have the capacity to handle the high volume of patients that Planned Parenthood health centers currently treat. If Planned Parenthood health centers are forced to close, which some already have because of the Defunding Provision, other providers would have to increase their caseloads by 28 percent to more than 100 percent, if they choose to accept the patients at all.

State budgets are limited, and using state funds to fully reimburse Planned Parenthood for all Medicaid services would strain state finances at a time where states are already dealing with unprecedented levels of federal funding cuts. In Connecticut, that would require $6.1 million. For California, that would require $328 million.

Connecticut, California, New York, led the brief, joined by Colorado, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

Alma Nunley, Special Counsel for Reproductive Rights, and Janelle Medeiros, Special Counsel for Civil Rights, assisted the Attorney General in this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

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