The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Thursday for South Carolina to strip Planned Parenthood of funding under the Medicaid health insurance program in a ruling that bolsters efforts by Republican-led states to deprive the reproductive healthcare and abortion provider of public money.

The Supreme Court upheld South Carolina's bid to defund Planned Parenthood, ruling that Medicaid patients cannot sue to choose their provider. The court held in a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, with the conservative justices in the majority.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, the nonprofit's arm that covers South Carolina, can't sue the state over its closing off of the nonprofit's Medicaid fundi