Judge Blocks Part Of Indiana Planned Parenthood Cut

Finally, a bit of good news in Roe V. World.

A federal judge decided to block part of Indiana’s new abortion law that would seek to defund Planned Parenthood because the clinics provide abortions.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt granted Planned Parenthood’s request for an injunction in striking down the law’s defunding provision as unconstitutional, and siding with federal Medicaid officials who have said states cannot disqualify Medicaid providers merely because they also offer abortions.

The state previously argued that Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid patients might be using their funds to pay for abortions and thus tried to deny those patients access to any Planned Parenthood services including breast exams and Pap tests:

It cut off about $1.4 million to Planned Parenthood, which serves about 9,300 clients in Indiana who are on the state-federal health insurance plan for low-income and disabled people who receive Medicaid.

A recent federal Medicaid bulletin said states may not exclude qualified health care providers merely because they also provide abortions.

Judge blocks part of Indiana law that cuts off some public funding from Planned Parenthood [Washington Post]