Private MD News

Planned Parenthood's appeal for funding from Texas is refused

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

According to Reuters, on Oct. 25, the federal courts dismissed an appeal from Planned Parenthood, which opposed a ruling to cut off its funding from the state of Texas. The appeal was struck down by a three-judge panel that upheld a law that allows the state to exclude abortion-affiliated groups from participating in the state-run Women's Health Program.

Planned Parenthood claimed that it has two separate organizations in Texas, reported the Washington Post, and the one for which it would receive state funding does not perform abortions but it does service nearly half of the women involved in the program. George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services has also reported doubts about whether other treatment centers would be able to absorb all of Planned Parenthood's patients.

"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," Governor Rick Perry said in reference to the case. "In Texas we choose life, and we will immediately begin defunding all abortion affiliates to honor and uphold that choice."

The state-run program was initiated after the federal government threatened to cut $39 million dollars in funding for the Women's Health Program, which serviced low-income women. The threat was issued when the Texas government announced that it wanted to exclude Planned Parenthood from the nationally funded program.

Planned Parenthood Statistics
Planned Parenthood is a nationwide organization that provides sexual education, birth control, STD testing and other sexual health services. It has nearly 800 treatment centers throughout the country and, according to organization, they are visited by nearly 3 million men and women each year. Planned Parenthood also reported that nearly 20 percent of women have visited one of their centers at least once in their lives.