Posted on 08/13/2015 2:28:53 PM PDT by NYer
August 13, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) -- The Obama administration threatened states taking steps to defund Planned Parenthood, claiming they may be in violation of federal law, HHS officials said on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said that representatives of its agency, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, contacted state officials in Louisiana and Alabama earlier this month warning them that their plans to end Medicaid provider agreements with Planned Parenthood may illegally constrict beneficiary access to services, according to Yahoo News.
Federal law requires state Medicaid programs to cover “family-planning” services and supplies for anyone of child-bearing age, according to HHS, and the agency contends that terminating the agreements with Planned Parenthood would restrict beneficiaries' access to care and services from “qualified providers of their choice.”
President Obama has been an ardent Planned Parenthood supporter throughout his administration. He told the largest provider of abortion in the U.S. in 2013 he would fight alongside it to further its agenda.
His administration has said since the video scandal broke that Planned Parenthood’s actions “are entirely consistent with the strictest ethical guidelines that have been established in the healthcare industry,” and indicated it would oppose any effort to defund Planned Parenthood.
Obama’s shot across the bow comes just after the sixth in a series of undercover videos was released exposing the abortion giant bartering in the sales of fetal tissue and body parts from children aborted at its facilities.
The latest video divulged how Planned Parenthood would routinely steal the remains of aborted children with their mothers’ consent.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a GOP candidate for president, canceled the contract with his state's two Planned Parenthood locations earlier this month after the controversy surfaced.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced his state would end its Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood in the last couple days as well.
The New Hampshire Executive Council voted to cut off funds from Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, the third state to move on defunding Planned Parenthood this week.
A U.S. Senate vote to defund the abortion giant failed last week, but investigations are pending at the national and state level.
Planned Parenthood advocates continue to claim that cuts would harm women, depriving them of needed services.
“You can’t exclude Planned Parenthood [from funding] because you don’t like the services they provide,” said Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues associate for the Guttmacher Institute, in a Wall Street Journal report.
Planned Parenthood and its supporters continually tout breast cancer screenings among its services, but the abortion giant does not offer them, and in fact refers clients to other facilities for mammograms.
In the past when states tried to block funding the claim didn’t hinge on whether Planned Parenthood was guilty of illegal activity, said Casey Mattox, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, so a court case over state defunding efforts would be a first.
“This really hasn’t been tried before,” Mattox said. “Planned Parenthood has contracts with states that can be terminated for cause. In other situations the contracts were not terminated for cause."
It’s the Chicago way.
Well, states fight back with rejecting and nullifying unconstitutional federal acts and regulations like this one. Tell Obama to pound sand.
What about Sanctuary Cities, O'Brilliant One?
So the states will use alternative providers for Medicaid services
Maybe providers that offer a full range of services like adoption counseling
And then?
FU Barry Soetoro.
The constitution is currently not being followed. Therefore we dont have a constitution.
Our federal government is a creation of the states. When this creation gets out of control, then the states have the right to abolish it or change it.
Besides the three branches of federal government that we are aware of, there exists a fourth branch which most people forget, it is the states. And actually, as mentioned above, this fourth branch has more power and authority than any of othe other three combined.
It is time for the fourth branch to assume its proper authority, and alter or abolish the other three.
I always say this to democrats...
Why would anybody want the defund the largest and most successful crime prevention program in the world?
Oh, that’s OK. Obola can choose whatever laws he wants us to obey, and what laws he wants his own administration to observe.
VERY GODD response!!!!!
GODD= GOOD
30 Republican Governors and how many of them are ready to demand his removal from office?
"Go F*** Yourself, Zerø"
It's the everywhere else (that matters) way.
Obama ignores the law, therefore the states should ignore Obama.
What “needed services?” A convenient means to kill babies? Here is a service/advice: DO NOT GET PREGNANT!
Someone please give Obama his bottle...
the most evil man since Hitler
"You cant exclude Planned Parenthood [from funding] because you dont like the services they provide, said Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues associate for the Guttmacher Institute, in a Wall Street Journal report."
This is no longer about excluding Planned Parenthood because people don't like the services they provide. This is about refusing to fund criminal activity. Until it can be determined that Planned Parenthood is not itself in violation of federal and state laws, a state or any other entity should be allowed to withhold funds supporting them.
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