Health
Supreme Court Weighs South Carolina’s Bid to Defund Planned Parenthood
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case arising from South Carolina’s attempt to deny funding to Planned Parenthood. But the question the justices grappled with was a relatively narrow one, focused on whether individuals may sue the state to obtain medical services from Planned Parenthood unrelated to abortion.
In 2018, Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, a Republican, ordered state officials to deny Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood, saying that “payment of taxpayer funds to abortion clinics, for any purpose, results in the subsidy of abortion and the denial of the right to life.”
Medicaid gives federal money to states to provide medical care for poor people, but it sets some conditions. One is that eligible participants may receive assistance from any provider qualified to perform the required services.
Abortions are banned in South Carolina after six weeks of pregnancy, and, even then, federal law prohibits the use of Medicaid funding except in life-threatening circumstances or in cases of rape or incest. But Planned Parenthood clinics in Charleston and Columbia provide services unrelated to abortion, including counseling, physical exams, contraception and screenings for cancer and sexually transmitted infections.
Planned Parenthood and a patient who sought contraception sued under a federal civil rights law, and a federal trial judge blocked the South Carolina directive, saying that it ran afoul of Medicaid’s requirement that patients may choose any qualified provider.
The litigation that followed was convoluted and circuitous, focusing largely on whether that provision created a right that individuals could enforce by filing lawsuits. The Supreme Court has said that federal laws like Medicaid, which give money to states but only if they accept certain conditions, must “unambiguously confer individual federal rights” to give affected individuals the right to sue.
That is a hard test to meet, and the court has ruled that it has been satisfied only rarely, most recently in 2023 in Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County v. Talevski, a case concerning nursing homes. The statute at issue in that case repeatedly referred to “rights” as such, while the Medicaid provision in the new case used different language.
It said people seeking medical services “may obtain such assistance from any institution” that is “qualified to perform the service or services required.”
Nicole A. Saharsky, a lawyer for Planned Parenthood, acknowledged that the standard was strict.
“It is a high bar to find that Congress put in place an individually enforceable right,” she said. “What we’re saying is that this provision meets the bar.”
Kyle D. Hawkins, a lawyer for the Trump administration, disagreed, saying the Medicaid provision lacked the required “unmistakable rights-creating language.”
Under the Biden administration, the government had taken the opposite position, which Mr. Hawkins acknowledged.
“With the change in administration,” he said, “the federal government re-evaluated its position in this case, and we believe that the view we’re advancing today is the best reading of the statute.”
The justices discussed at length whether Congress had to use “magic words” to allow people to sue. John J. Bursch, a lawyer with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian group that represents South Carolina, proposed a series of words Congress could use to grant an unambiguous right to sue.
“The list I would give you is rights, entitlement, privilege and immunities,” he said, adding that they did not amount to magic words.
In response, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said, “I’m not allergic to magic words because magic words, if they represent the principle, will provide the clarity that will avoid the litigation that is a huge waste of resources for states, courts, providers, beneficiaries and Congress.”
Justice Elena Kagan said the language in the Medicaid law could hardly be plainer. “The state has to ensure that individuals have a right to choose their doctor,” she said. “That’s what this provision is.”
Last year, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., ruled that the suit could proceed.
“This case is, and always has been, about whether Congress conferred an individually enforceable right for Medicaid beneficiaries to freely choose their health care provider,” Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote for the panel. “Preserving access to Planned Parenthood and other providers means preserving an affordable choice and quality care for an untold number of mothers and infants in South Carolina.”
He added that “this decision is not about funding or providing abortions.”
Abortion was mentioned only in passing in Wednesday’s argument in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, No. 23-1275, and the case did not turn on the state’s reason for trying to disqualify Planned Parenthood. But Ms. Saharsky said the dispute presented issues beyond a technical one about who can sue.
Congress, she said, had tried to send a message: “We want people on Medicaid who are insured through Medicaid to have the same right that people who have private insurance enjoy because it’s so foundational to individual dignity and individual autonomy.”
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South Carolina is facing a major measles outbreak, resulting in the quarantine of hundreds of residents.
The South Carolina Department of Health (DPH) reported in a media briefing on Wednesday that the current number of measles cases has reached 111 as part of the current Spartanburg County outbreak.
DPH first reported a measles outbreak in the Upstate region on Oct. 2.
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The health department confirmed that 254 people are currently in quarantine and 16 are in isolation to prevent further spread.
The health department confirmed that 254 people are currently in quarantine in the upstate region. (Getty Images)
“This significant jump in cases is unfortunate,” a DPH spokesperson commented on the outbreak.
Public exposure was identified at Inman Intermediate School, with 43 of their students in quarantine.
“This significant jump in cases is unfortunate.”
Eight other intermediate and middle schools in the area are also reportedly undergoing quarantine. The DPH said multiple students have had to quarantine twice due to repeat exposure.
“Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent the disruption that measles is causing to people’s education, to employment and other factors in people’s lives and our communities,” the spokesperson said.
“This significant jump in cases is unfortunate,” a DPH spokesperson commented on the current outbreak. (iStock)
Out of the 111 confirmed cases, 105 were unvaccinated. Receiving a vaccination within 72 hours has been shown to prevent measles infection, the DPH spokesperson noted.
Some cases are related to travel exposure, while others are from an unknown source, suggesting that measles is circulating in the community, the DPH noted.
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Connecticut has also reported its first measles case in four years, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
The department confirmed on Thursday that an unvaccinated child in Fairfield County, under the age of 10, was diagnosed with measles after recently traveling internationally.
“Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent the disruption that measles is causing,” a DPH spokesperson said. (iStock)
The child began to show symptoms several days later, including a runny nose, cough, congestion, fever and a rash starting at the head and spreading to the rest of the body.
The Connecticut DPH noted that measles is “highly contagious” and can spread quickly through the air via coughing or sneezing. The CDC has estimated that nine out of 10 unvaccinated individuals who encounter an infected person will develop the measles virus.
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According to the International Vaccine Access Center, more than 1,800 cases of measles have been reported in 2025, which is the most since the U.S. declared the virus eliminated in 2000. It is also the most cases recorded in three decades.
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“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D., wrote in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93% effective, while two doses are about 97% effective.”
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A sperm donor whose samples helped conceive nearly 200 children across Europe unknowingly carried a cancer-causing genetic mutation — a hidden risk now tied to multiple childhood illnesses and early deaths.
An investigation led by the BBC and many other public service broadcasters revealed that the donations were made to Denmark’s European Sperm Bank (ESB). Those donations were then used by 67 fertility clinics in 14 countries over a 17-year span.
The donor, who was not identified, was paid to donate as a student beginning in 2005, according to the report.
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Although the donor passed the initial health screenings, he had hidden genetic mutations that damaged the TP53 gene, which helps to prevent cancer by repairing DNA damage or trigger the death of cancer cells.
When TP53 is mutated, those protective functions are lost, which can lead to uncontrolled cell division, accumulation of mutations and tumor growth, research has shown.
A sperm donor whose samples helped conceive nearly 200 children across Europe (not pictured) unknowingly carried a cancer-causing genetic mutation — a hidden risk now tied to multiple childhood illnesses and early deaths. (Getty Images)
Up to 20% of the man’s sperm would contain that mutated gene, and any children conceived from that affected sperm would have the mutation in every cell of their body, the BBC report stated.
As a result, these children would have a 90% risk of developing some type of cancer in their lifetime, including breast cancer, bone cancers, brain tumors and leukemia. This heightened risk is known as Li Fraumeni syndrome.
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Doctors raised these concerns at the annual congress of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG), which was held in Milan in May 2025.
At that conference, Edwige Kasper — a specialist in cancer genetics at Rouen University Hospital in France — presented the case of the sperm donor whose genetic material carried the harmful variant.
“This is the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease. Not every man has 75 children across Europe.”
It was reported that 23 children had been confirmed to have the variant at that time, 10 of which had already been diagnosed with cancer.
The actual number is likely much higher, the report surmised, as at least 197 children were born from the donated sperm — but not all data has been collected.
Kasper called for a limit on the number of births or families for a single donor in Europe.
“We can’t do whole-genome sequencing for all sperm donors — I’m not arguing for that,” she said. “But this is the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease. Not every man has 75 children across Europe.”
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She also recommended that children born from this donor’s sperm undergo genetic counseling.
“We have some children that have already developed two different cancers, and some of them have already died at a very early age,” Kasper recently told the investigators.
Up to 20% of the man’s sperm would contain that mutated gene, and any children conceived from that affected sperm would have the mutation in every cell of their body, the BBC report stated. (iStock)
There is no worldwide law that limits how many times a donor’s sperm can be used or how many children may be born from a single donor, according to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
However, individual countries may have their own rules or guidelines surrounding sperm donor usage. The ESHRE recently proposed a cap of 50 families per donor as an international limit.
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Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, commented on these developments to Fox News Digital.
“This awful story emphasizes the growing need for up-to-date genetic screening for all donors,” he said. “It also provides context for the idea that knowing the donor provides an advantage.”
“This awful story emphasizes the growing need for up-to-date genetic screening for all donors,” Dr. Marc Siegel said. (iStock)
“Genetic screening, including for oncogenes (genes that have the potential to cause cancer) is improving dramatically, and all use of sperm donations must include it,” Siegel went on.
He also called for AI to be used to improve and speed up the process.
“When a propensity for disease is suspected, the sperm must be discarded,” the doctor added.
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In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the European Sperm Bank expressed “deepest sympathy” for the families involved.
“We are deeply affected by the case and the impact that the rare TP53 mutation has on a number of families, children and the donor. They have our deepest sympathy,” the ESP said.
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine provided its guidance on embryo and gamete donation, which stated in part that all prospective donors should undergo “appropriate genetic evaluation.” (iStock)
“ESB tests and performs an individual medical assessment of all donors in full compliance with recognized and scientific practice and legislation.”
In the case of this particular sperm donor with the TP53 mutation, the ESB noted that it occurs only in a small part of the donor’s sperm cells and not in the rest of the body.
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“In such cases, the donor himself and his family members are not ill, and a mutation of this type is not detected preventively by genetic screening,” the agency said.
When the ESB later confirmed the mutation in 2023, the donor was “immediately blocked” and authorities and clinics were notified.
“Donors should be healthy and have no history to suggest hereditary disease.”
“The clinics are responsible for informing the patients, partly because we as a sperm bank do not necessarily know the patients, and because the patients’ own treating physicians are best equipped to advise them in the specific situation,” the agency stated.
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When contacted by Fox News Digital, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) provided its guidance on embryo and gamete donation, which stated in part that all prospective donors should undergo “appropriate genetic evaluation.”
“Donors should be healthy and have no history to suggest hereditary disease,” the ASRM continued.
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Parents with concerns are encouraged to contact both their treating clinic and the relevant fertility authority in that country.
GLP-1 weight loss pill in development
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel discusses advancements in weight loss drugs, safety concerns surrounding nicotine patches and his interview with FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary on vaccine protocol.
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Scientists in Sweden have created a new pill designed to help the body burn fat and control blood sugar in a different way than popular GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic.
While injectable GLP-1s work by suppressing appetite, this new treatment boosts metabolism in the muscles.
A study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University included both an early animal study and a human clinical trial with 48 healthy adults and 25 people with type 2 diabetes, according to a press release.
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The new oral medication was found to successfully control blood glucose, boost fat burning and retain muscle mass in animals, while getting high marks for tolerability and safety in humans.
It was also found to have fewer side effects than GLP-1s like semaglutides and tirzepatides, which are known to cause appetite loss, gastrointestinal distress and muscle wasting, the researchers noted.
While injectable GLP-1s work by suppressing appetite, this new treatment boosts metabolism in the muscles. (iStock)
The experimental medication uses a new form of beta-2 agonist that benefits muscle function while also avoiding overstimulation of the heart, which has been identified as a potential safety concern of older versions.
The findings were published this week in the journal Cell.
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Because the new oral drug acts via a different mechanism than appetite-suppressing medications, it could be used alone or in combination with GLP-1s, the researchers noted.
“Our results point to a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass,” said Tore Bengtsson, professor at the Department of Molecular Bioscience at Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, in the release. “Muscles are important in both type 2 diabetes and obesity, and muscle mass is also directly correlated with life expectancy.”
“Muscles are important in both type 2 diabetes and obesity, and muscle mass is also directly correlated with life expectancy.” (iStock)
This medication has the potential to be of “great importance” for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to Shane C. Wright, assistant professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet.
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“Our substance appears to promote healthy weight loss and, in addition, patients do not have to take injections,” he added.
Dr. Trey Wickham, interim chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia, was not involved in the study but shared his reaction to the publication in the journal Cell.
“Our results point to a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass.”
“This compound’s mechanism of action could address some specific metabolic concerns with previous weight reduction therapies, such as the loss of both muscle and fat tissue,” Wickham told Fox News Digital.
“Although the reported preliminary results are interesting, rigorous testing involving larger longitudinal trials are necessary to ensure human long-term safety and understand the potential role of this compound in the comprehensive, evidence-based treatment of obesity and diabetes.”
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The study had some limitations, the researchers noted, chiefly that the preclinical studies in mice fail to capture the “complex nature of these diseases” in humans.
Structural studies are needed to understand exactly how the drug works.
“This compound’s mechanism of action could address some specific metabolic concerns with previous weight reduction therapies, such as the loss of both muscle and fat tissue,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Our phase 1 data show that compound 15 is well-tolerated; however, conclusive clinical efficacy data (on how the drug controls glucose metabolism) are currently still lacking.”
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Looking ahead, the company that developed the drug, Atrogi AB, plans to conduct a larger phase 2 clinical trial with a larger, more diverse population, including people with obesity.
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The study was supported in part by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Uppsala University, University of Copenhagen, Monash University and University of Queensland all collaborated with the lead researchers.
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