A Texas federal appeals court rejected Planned Parenthood’s challenge to a ban on government funding for the state’s women’s health clinics. A court had ruled in August to withhold all funding to Planned Parenthood and other women’s health clinics in the state that also provide abortions. Payments were provided under the state’s Women’s Health Program, which provides funding for birth control, cancer screenings, and other health services to more than 130,000 low-income women in Texas.
Governor Rick Perry, in response to the decision, announced that he would immediately stop payments to the clinics. He stated, “Today’s ruling affirms yet again that in Texas the Women’s Health Program has no obligation to fund Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform or promote abortion. In Texas we choose life, and we will immediately begin defunding all abortion affiliates to honor and uphold that choice.”
A recent George Washington University study has found that Texas will be unable to make up for the loss of care by Planned Parenthood, which serves 40% of all low-income women who utilize the Women’s Health Program.
Media Resources: Democracy Now 10/26/12; CNN 10/26/12; Huffington Post 10/25/12
