The state of Texas finds itself in a battle with the Obama administration over its decision to defund Planned Parenthood, the nation’s premier abortion provider. “At the direction of lawmakers and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott,” reported the Texas Tribune, “the Texas Health and Human Services commissioner signed a rule [February 23] that formally bans Planned Parenthood clinics and other ‘affiliates of abortion providers’” from participating in the Texas Women’s Health Program (WHP), which provides a variety of health services to low-income women throughout the state, including “family planning.” Planned Parenthood had confirmed that it was providing some 40 percent of the services offered through WHP.
As reported by LifeNews.com, last December the Obama administration informed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that it would deny Medicaid funding to the WHP because of a new Texas law banning participation in the program by contractors such as Planned Parenthood “that perform or promote elective abortions or affiliate with entities that perform or promote elective abortions.”
Under that law, reported LifeNews, “Texas yanked about $64 million in funding from Planned Parenthood and directed the funds to agencies that do not do abortions. In conjunction with that, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission submitted a request to the Center for Medicaid … to continue its family planning program without funding Planned Parenthood or other abortion agencies.”
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