Planned Parenthood officials are applauding the decision. The federal money was used to support education and prevention programs.
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A federal judge on Friday blocked an OH law that would have diverted the last government funding from Planned Parenthood clinics across the state.
In December, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine revealed that in Ohio, Planned Parenthood locations are contracting with companies that dump fetal remains in landfills.
While Barrett acknowledged that OH could legally establish a policy that favored childbirth over abortion and that it could (as it has done) bar use of public funding on non-therapeutic abortion procedures, the programs hit by this state law have nothing to do with abortion.
The court pointed to the argument from plaintiffs that the loss of funding would endanger their ability to provide sexually transmitted disease and HIV testing, contraception, breast and cervical cancer screenings, infant mortality prevention, sex education, and other health services free of charge to patients. The judge asserted state authorities had overstepped their bounds by barring abortion providers from funds for unrelated health services.
The Ohio law would have barred such funds from going to entities that perform or promote abortions.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation enacting the law in February.
A federal judge sided with Planned Parenthood on Friday against an OH law that would strip the group of its public funding.
Planned Parenthood cheered the ruling as a victory for access to health care services. OH already has a law barring the use of state funding for abortions. We will continue to provide great health care to the people of OH who come to Planned Parenthood everyday and need the services.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, an advocate for abortion rights, cautioned that the state should stop spending taxpayer dollars to try to end abortion in Ohio. “Therefore, under the unconstitutional conditions doctrine, (the law) can not condition funding for these programs based on a recipient’s exercise of the right to free speech or association outside of these programs”.
Under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, women have a constitutionally protected right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is able to survive outside the womb, generally around 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The wrinkle in this case is that it’s already illegal for Planned Parenthood to spend any money it receives from the state on abortion. But the state’s attorneys say OH gets to choose how to spend the public’s money.
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According to Planned Parenthood, politicians in 24 states have either enacted or proposed measures since last July that target the organization with defunding.
