Judge rules Texas can continue defunding Planned Parenthood pending October trial

An excellent decision...the state should be able to decide how to allocate its own funds.

On August 21, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that Texas may continue to withhold public funds from Planned Parenthood pending an October trial over a state law that bans Planned Parenthood clinics and other “affiliates of abortion providers” from participating in the Medicaid Women’s Health Program.

During a special legislative session in June 2011, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 7. Governor Perry signed it in July 2011.

In February, 2012, Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs, under the direction of lawmakers and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, endorsed the legislation that stripped Planned Parenthood of all state funds.

The court case, Planned Parenthood v. Suehs, involves the nine state Planned Parenthood organizations, all of which advocate for abortion as a method of family planning, suing the state to prevent being excluded as providers of the Medicaid Women’s Health Program.

At stake is an estimated 17 million tax dollars per year for Planned Parenthood, according to a statement by Joe Pojman, Executive Director of Texas Alliance for Life.

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