Supreme Court divided over state effort to defund Planned Parenthood

The Supreme Court appeared divided Wednesday over whether a state can block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics, in a technical interpretation over healthcare choices that has become a larger political fight over abortion access.

In nearly two hours of oral arguments, the court's conservative majority offered measured support for South Carolina's position.

The specific issue is whether low-income Medicaid patients can sue in order to choose their own qualified healthcare provider.