Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in support of the plaintiffs in Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. v. Kennedy. The case challenges the Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers.
The “Defund Provision,” part of the Big Beautiful Bill Act, blocks federal Medicaid funding for services such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and wellness exams provided by “prohibited entities.” The provision primarily targets Planned Parenthood, affecting at least 200 health centers nationwide and potentially disrupting healthcare for over 1.1 million people.
Attorney General Brown stated that the federal government is using access to healthcare as a political issue and reaffirmed Maryland’s commitment to protecting health services for residents.
Maryland previously joined 22 other states in a separate lawsuit against the administration over the Defund Provision. That case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, remains pending. The District Court in a related case granted a preliminary injunction halting enforcement of the provision, finding that it likely violates the First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause, and the constitutional ban on bills of attainder.
Planned Parenthood operates as the largest provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare in the U.S., serving millions of patients, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, Planned Parenthood delivered 9.45 million services nationwide, including 425,000 cancer screenings, 2.2 million contraceptive services, and 4.1 million STI tests and treatments. About 400,000 of those services were abortions, which do not receive federal funding.
The brief argues that eliminating federal Medicaid funding would strain state healthcare systems and finances, as other providers lack capacity to absorb Planned Parenthood’s patient volume.
Attorneys general from Connecticut, California, New York, Colorado, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia joined Brown in filing the brief.
