Upcoming SCOTUS Case Part Of Larger Leonard Leo-Linked Campaign Threatening Health Care for Millions Of Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the Supreme Court prepares to hear Medina v. Planned Parenthood (formerly Kerr v. Planned Parenthood), a case that could block Medicaid patients in South Carolina from choosing Planned Parenthood as their provider, Accountable.US President Caroline Ciccone warns that this latest attack on reproductive rights is part of a broader assault on Medicaid itself, orchestrated by Leonard Leo and his network.

“This campaign didn’t start with state officials—it started with Leonard Leo and his network of anti-choice operatives who’ve spent decades trying to eliminate access to reproductive care,” said Caroline Ciccone. “Beyond the potential devastating consequences for Planned Parenthood patients, this campaign is part of a broader, coordinated strategy to gut Medicaid and strip millions of Americans, especially low-income women and families, of their access to basic care. If Leo and his allies succeed, it won’t just be Planned Parenthood patients who suffer—it’ll be the nearly 72 million Americans who rely on Medicaid every day to see a doctor, get birth control, manage chronic conditions, and stay healthy.”

Leonard Leo’s influence runs deep in the legal attacks on Planned Parenthood. In Texas, his network is tied to a lawsuit seeking $1.8 billion from Planned Parenthood—nearly 90% of its annual revenue—for continuing to serve Medicaid patients while challenging efforts to block it from the program. Leo also served as legal counsel to the Center for Medical Progress, the anti-abortion group involved in that suit.

In Medina, South Carolina is asking the Supreme Court to let states exclude trusted providers like Planned Parenthood from Medicaid—even for non-abortion services like cancer screenings, STI testing, and contraception. While the case centers on one state, the consequences could be nationwide. 

The legal challenge in Medina is just one piece of a much larger strategy by the right to gut Medicaid access across the country:

• Leonard Leo’s network is behind legal attacks aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood and weakening federal Medicaid protections.
• Alliance Defending Freedom, a Leo-aligned group, is representing South Carolina and arguing that patients shouldn’t be able to sue when states violate their right to choose Medicaid providers.
• Five federal appeals courts have affirmed this right—but the Supreme Court could upend that precedent.
• Congressional Republicans are also pushing up to $2.3 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, while GOP-led states move to roll back expansion.

This case may carry Planned Parenthood’s name—but what’s really at stake is the health and freedom of tens of millions of Americans who depend on Medicaid for care.

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