SCOTUS Guts Access to Health Care for Millions on Medicaid: NCJW Reacts to Medina Decision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 26, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its opinion in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, choosing to gut a key section of the Affordable Care Act and throwing the health care of millions of women into chaos.

In response, Sheila Katz, chief executive officer at National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) — one of the nation’s leading Jewish feminist civil rights organizations, representing 250,000 advocates from across the country — issued the following statement:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is morally indefensible. Stripping Medicaid patients of the right to choose their health care provider will cost lives — especially when that provider is Planned Parenthood. This is a direct attack on the dignity, health, and agency of millions of people in this country.

“Medicaid is how millions of Americans and one-in-five women, disproportionately those who are low-income, those with disabilities, young people, and Black and brown people, access essential care. In the United States, over 40% of births are covered by Medicaid. And in many areas, Planned Parenthood is not one of many options; it is the only option for critical services like cancer screenings, STI treatment, contraception, and prenatal services. Without these options, many Americans will now have no access to health care at all. That means more undetected cancers, more untreated infections, and more high-risk pregnancies without care. It means more needless, preventable deaths.

“As Jews, we are taught that every person is deserving of dignity, compassion, and care. Denying people the ability to get the health care they need from the provider they trust is a violation of our most sacred values. National Council of Jewish Women will not stay silent in the face of this decision, because every person deserves to live with health, safety, and self-determination, not suffer because of cruelty disguised as law.”

From the very beginning, family planning has been central to NCJW’s mission — and we will never tire in our fight to protect and expand access to reproductive care. As abortion rights advocates, we know that legal and legislative attacks on Planned Parenthood were never just about abortion. With proposals in Congress and state legislatures to pare back the rights women have fought for nearly a century and defund health care across the country for low-income, rural, and minority women and children, we know that the end result will kill women, devastate families, and put providers in impossible positions.

In further rebuking today’s Court decision, Darcy Hirsh, NCJW senior director of government relations and advocacy, said:

“The Court today has eliminated a key provision of the Affordable Care Act to the detriment of Americans nationwide, who understood that the law gave them the right to choose their own qualified health care provider, including Planned Parenthood. By taking away individuals’ ability to pursue justice in court when they are denied access to a certain provider, the Court has surrendered this right to the government, robbing individuals of the right to bodily autonomy and worsening the challenges for anyone in need of accessible, affordable health care.

“In addition to stripping essential health care from millions of Americans, this decision is a veiled attempt to systematically defund Planned Parenthood and undermine access to reproductive health care nationwide. NCJW will continue fighting these attacks to ensure that all people can access the health care they need, when they need it. Together with our network of 250,000 advocates, NCJW will continue to protect the fundamental right to health care access for all — and make sure that every individual has the right to bodily autonomy and privacy, free from governmental, political, and religious interference.”

NCJW joined this amicus brief on behalf of faith organizations led by the Religious Community for Reproductive Choice.

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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 132-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 48 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to affect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.