UDPATED 10:10 a.m. August 25, 2017
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster directed all state and local agencies to stop funding for abortion clinics. Thursday’s executive order includes attempting federal permission to exclude abortion clinics from Medicaid’s provider network.
The order also directs agencies to make a publicly available list of women’s health providers that don’t offer abortions within a 25 mile radius of an abortion clinic. McMaster said in a statement taxpayer money must not be directly or indirectly paying for abortion providers. He specifically mentioned Planned Parenthood.
The organization says it doesn't currently receive grants through the state. Vicki Ringer with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic said in a statement, "Given this clear-cut information, today’s executive order issued by Governor McMaster is simply a political stunt."
Planned Parenthood serves Medicaid patients in South Carolina for a variety of other health needs.
In April, Trump signed a law letting states deny certain federal funding to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood. That measure nullified an Obama-era rule that explicitly stopped states from denying federal Title X family planning funds to clinics that also provide abortion services.
