But Planned Parenthood lawyer Peggy Tomsic contends Herbert used misleading videos as a “platform” to further his personal and political opposition to abortion.
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A federal judge ordered Utah to keep sending money to the local arm of Planned Parenthood on Thursday amid a lawsuit over the governor’s decision to defund the organization_at least for now.
A federal judge said he will decide by Monday whether to block Gov. Bobby Jindal’s attempt to cut off state Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood’s Louisiana clinics.
Baker said Rudofsky claims he should be entitled to explore the women’s experiences and histories concerning Planned Parenthood services, as well as their abilities to access services through other Medicaid providers.
Waddoups peppered both attorneys with questions during the two-hour hearing, and asked why Herbert’s motivation couldn’t be both his belief in the sanctity of life and the alleged illegal conduct in the videos.
In his September 29 restraining order, Waddoups cited a substantial likelihood Planned Parenthood will be able to prove the funding cutoff violates the group’s rights to equal protection and freedom of association.
“There is nothing unreasonable the state’s done to terminate the contract”, he said.
Carrie Flaxman, arguing for Planned Parenthood and a few of its patients, said there is no legal requirement that the organization exhaust the state appeal process before going to federal court. “What I would like is for the governor to honor my client’s constitutional rights”.
In response to the national furor over the undercover videos, the national Planned Parenthood has said it will maintain programs at a few of its clinics that make fetal tissue available for research, but will cover the costs itself rather than accepting any reimbursement.
“The Jane Does, through the materials they have submitted, have demonstrated they are in communication with counsel and interested in this litigation”, Baker’s order said.
“The only difference that has happened the past six years and now is these videos”, he told the judge. The organization is not now performing abortions in the state, according to Flaxman.
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The move is aimed at debunking what the group calls a “disingenuous argument” by critics attacking Planned Parenthood over the procedure.
