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onestepforward

(3,691 posts)
Fri Oct 26, 2012, 03:07 PM Oct 2012

Court refuses Planned Parenthood appeal in Texas

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Court-refuses-Planned-Parenthood-appeal-in-Texas-3982560.php

A federal appeals court has refused to grant another hearing to Planned Parenthood, clearing the way for Texas to assume full responsibility for health care of low-income women next week without clinics that previously provided almost half of those services and without federal funding.

In a statement issued Thursday, Gov. Rick Perry said Texas will immediately "defund" the health organization's affiliates.

"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. In Texas we choose life, and we will immediately begin defunding all abortion affiliates to honor and uphold that choice."
-snip-



http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/26/court-lets-texas-pull-planned-parenthood-funds/

-snip-
That’s precisely what Perry is doing, passing on more than $40 million in federal assistance and directing the state to exclude Planned Parenthood, which provides health care services to more than 130,000 low-income women in Texas. Planned Parenthood has 49 health centers across Texas, many of which will be forced to close due to Perry’s decision.

As an experiment, pro-choice activist Andrea Grimes said in September that she spent six hours trying to locate a women’s health clinic in Austin that isn’t Planned Parenthood but does accept Medicaid. Despite a list of 181 clinics on the state’s website, Grimes said she found just 13 actual doctors in the whole state who perform the necessary procedures and accept Medicaid, explaining that the other listings were repeats, radiology centers, labs and doctors who didn’t take Medicaid at all.

To make matters worse for many low-income women, the Kaiser Family Foundation says that Texas has one of the most restrictive Medicaid programs in the country, requiring that a family of three earn less than $188 a month to qualify for assistance. Under the president’s Affordable Care Act, however, Medicaid was slated to expand dramatically to cover nearly all low-income Americans, but Perry also said he will turn down more than $164 billion in federal money that would have been used to provide health care to 1.2 million Texans through 2023.
-snip-


This is disastrous for low income women in our state. It is effective on Nov. 1.

13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Court refuses Planned Parenthood appeal in Texas (Original Post) onestepforward Oct 2012 OP
why do republicans hate women? madrchsod Oct 2012 #1
Looking at what the Reps. have been doing, onestepforward Oct 2012 #3
Fuck. progressoid Oct 2012 #2
This is how you beat roe - an 'inch' at a time. Nt xchrom Oct 2012 #4
EVIL GeorgeGist Oct 2012 #5
This sucks..... dhill926 Oct 2012 #6
Terrible They_Live Oct 2012 #7
It's Democracy versus Theocracy. blkmusclmachine Oct 2012 #8
Judge: State cannot cut Planned Parenthood from health program TexasTowelie Oct 2012 #9
This is great news! onestepforward Oct 2012 #10
An Update: onestepforward Nov 2012 #12
Dear heavens. Texas will spend more in court costs than Planned Parenthood would cost. w8liftinglady Nov 2012 #13
oh good! n/t ceile Oct 2012 #11

onestepforward

(3,691 posts)
3. Looking at what the Reps. have been doing,
Fri Oct 26, 2012, 03:32 PM
Oct 2012

I think it is about controlling women in addition to punishing poor people for being poor.

It's sadistic with potentially deadly consequences.

TexasTowelie

(111,905 posts)
9. Judge: State cannot cut Planned Parenthood from health program
Sat Oct 27, 2012, 05:11 PM
Oct 2012

Responding Friday to a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood, a state judge in Austin ordered Texas to temporarily halt efforts to exclude the organization from the Women’s Health Program — the latest step in long-running legal and political battle over the health initiative’s future.

District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued the restraining order after a brief afternoon hearing and set aside three hours for a Nov. 8 hearing on whether to continue the ban.

The lawsuit, filed in state court one day after Planned Parenthood lost a federal court challenge, argued that Texas health officials adopted an invalid rule when they moved to exclude Planned Parenthood — and any other provider that supports abortion or is affiliated with an organization that performs abortions — from the program, which provides contraceptives and other care to low-income women.

“The rules that the state has adopted pose a substantial risk that thousands of Texas women will lose the health care that they currently receive,” said Susan Conway, an Austin lawyer representing Planned Parenthood. “We’re optimistic that we’re right on the law.”

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/judge-state-cannot-cut-planned-parenthood-from-hea/nSppQ/

onestepforward

(3,691 posts)
10. This is great news!
Sun Oct 28, 2012, 02:15 AM
Oct 2012

Thanks for the update!

The next step:
http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/12896/planned-parenthood-scores-victory-in-texas-district-court

-snip-
As a procedural matter, the next step would be the November 8 hearing, when it will be decided whether a temporary injunction should be put into place until a full trial on the legality of Texas' action can be had. The current order, as a matter of law, cannot last more than 14 days, and simply preserves the status quo. If the November 8 hearing is inconclusive, the temporary restraining order could be extended for another 14 days, but only for good cause shown.

onestepforward

(3,691 posts)
12. An Update:
Wed Nov 14, 2012, 03:37 PM
Nov 2012
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-08/planned-parenthood-seeks-to-extend-ban-on-texas-funding-cuts.html

Planned Parenthood Wins Extended Ban on Texas Funding Cuts

Planned Parenthood won an extension of an order blocking Texas from making cuts in funding to its clinics because the organization provides abortion services.
Texas officials were stopped by an Oct. 26 temporary restraining order issued by Judge Amy Clark Meachum in Austin from eliminating public funds for the 49 Planned Parenthood clinics in the state that don’t provide abortions.
After a hearing yesterday in Austin, U.S. District Judge Stephen Yelenosky said he is extending Meachum’s order.
Yelenosky said that by labeling all Planned Parenthood clinics as being affiliated with abortion providers, state officials are using a definition of “affiliate” that goes against the law on funding for the Women’s Health Program written by the Legislature.
-snip-


No surprise here. Greg Abbott said Texas will immediately appeal the decision.
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