A District Court judge in Indiana is now considering whether to grant a preliminary injunction against a new law that strips Indiana Planned Parenthood of all of its federal funding.
Planned Parenthood has requested a preliminary injunction against the law, arguing that without it the state will stop receiving about $1.4 million in Medicaid funding on June 20, and would cut health care services for more than 9,000 people.
Backers of the new law, which Mitch Daniels signed in May, argue that it’s needed to prevent any federal money from going to abortions, which Planned Parenthood provides. Planned Parenthood argues that the law is illegal because it violates the rules of Medicaid.
From the Associated Press:
The Indiana attorney general’s office contends that federal law forbids Medicaid to cover abortions in most circumstances and that the joint federal-state health insurance program indirectly funds abortions because the organization’s financial statements show it commingles Medicaid funds with other revenues.
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services said that it agrees with Planned Parenthood’s argument that the law illegally blocks Medicaid recipients from receiving treatment, and gave the state 60 days to change it to comply with federal law.
The Attorney General said the state would continue to defend the law, despite the federal government’s objections.
Jillian Rayfield
Jillian Rayfield is a Reporter/Blogger for TPM, and started as a News Intern in May 2009. She graduated from Cornell University in May 2008 with a degree in Film, and worked as a Research Assistant for a market research firm in London in between.
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.