Supreme Court dismisses cases challenging Trump admin's family planning abortion-related 'gag rule'

The nation's highest court on Monday dismissed cases that pushed back against a rule issued during the Trump administration that barred clinics getting government money for family planning services from referring women to abortion providers.

The dismissal came as President Biden's administration intends to nix that rule prior to when the Supreme Court would get around to deciding the matter.

"The proposed rule does not include the provisions at issue in these cases. Given that HHS proposes to replace the 2019 rule and expects to finalize any new rule by early fall — before this Court would decide these cases — the government and the challengers to the 2019 rule jointly stipulated to dismiss the cases," Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote to the court earlier in May, according to the Washington Times.

The Department of Health and Human Services in 2019 promulgated the rule prohibiting clinics and providers that get Title X money from counseling regarding abortion services, according to the outlet, which reported that the rule is getting enforced around the U.S., with the exception of Maryland, until the current administration puts its rule into action.