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Posted on 02/21/2017 5:38:46 PM PST by nickcarraway
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Texas can't cut off Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood over secretly recorded videos taken by anti-abortion activists in 2015 that launched Republican efforts across the U.S. to defund the nation's largest abortion provider.
An injunction issued by U.S. District Sam Sparks of Austin comes after he delayed making decision in January and essentially bought Planned Parenthood an extra month in the state's Medicaid program.
Texas is now at least the sixth state where federal courts have kept Planned Parenthood eligible for Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortion services, although a bigger question remains over whether President Donald Trump will federally defund the organization.
Sparks' decision preserves what Planned Parenthood says are cancer screenings, birth control access and other health services for nearly 11,000 low-income women. Texas originally intended to boot Planned Parenthood in January but Sparks told the state to wait pending his ruling.
Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi and Louisiana have also had similar efforts blocked.
Like in those states, Texas health officials accused Planned Parenthood officials of making misrepresentation to investigators following the release of secretly recorded and heavily edited videos by an anti-abortion group last year. Investigations by 13 states into those videos have concluded without criminal charges, and Planned Parenthood officials have denied any wrongdoing.
A Houston grand jury indicted two activists behind the videos over how they covertly gained access inside a Planned Parenthood clinic, but a judge later dismissed the charges. Planned Parenthood serves only a fraction of the 4.3 million people enrolled in Medicaid in Texas.
Anti-abortion activists emboldened by a new Trump administration are looking for the federal government to cut off all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. That would cut nearly $400 million in Medicaid money to the group and result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
In one of his first acts as president, Trump last month banned U.S. funding to international groups that perform abortions or even provide information about abortions. Vice President Mike Pence strongly opposes abortion, citing his Catholic beliefs, and the newly confirmed health secretary, Tom Price, has supported cutting off taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood.
or is it just me
America’s robed mullahs and the looting of the republic. Keeping an eye on them ALERT!
The legislature can spend State money how it sees fit. I think the fact that it’s federal money (Medicaid) makes it so only US congress can change it.
Fine. Change it in D.C.
Just another judge needs nuetering.
Such a revolutionalry statement the Trump spokesman made last week that the branches were co-equal.
Rule by globalist judiciary is also how the EU is set up.
Is PP a federal department?
Austin! The San Francisco of Texas!!
“America’s robed mullahs and the looting of the republic. Keeping an eye on them ALERT!”
This is THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM WE FACE AS A NATION! President Trump needs to have a group devoted to vetting bona fide conservative judges for the Federal Courts, and he needs to aggressively appoint and seat them. Also, he needs to look into what needs to be done vis a vis the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Cut it up, pack it, whatever, but FIX IT! Put ten more 30 year old conservative judges on it if that’s what it takes. And go get that bastard Federal Judge in Washington State! Judges are NOT Legislators!
According to the Kaiser Foundation, the State of Texas contributes 41.1% of its Medicaid costs. I wonder if there is a way to cut the funding for abortions by 41.1% until D.C. can (if ever) fix this problem.
Nope, it's the judiciary ITSELF that needs neutering. They've gotten WAY to comfortable with providing "cover" for the political branches getting things "We the People" refuse to give them.
We need to start slapping these activist “judges” with a little judicial malpractice. They’ve play god long enough. This crap has to stop.
What part of the federal
shall not establish institutions against state wishes do these judges not understand?
I would defy that order and so sue me. It is unconstitutional
When medicaid was brought into being was there ever an aim to pay for abortions with it?
I believe juries/legislatures and not judges should make these types of decisions. A judge could, say, tell a governor to put his decision to a vote, but that is it.
Why does everyone pu$$ies out to these idiota!?
Past time for defying the courts.
PP is a private company. Under what authority does a judge have the authority to order a state to expend public money on a private company?
What part of murder don’t they understand. Those in leadership positions will be judged more stringently by God. I would think that would be enough for those judges to quake in their boots. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. Deuteronomy 32:35 “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
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