Abortion rights supporters and foes pack Texas hearing on funding Planned Parenthood clinics

Sep 6 2012

The women's health services provider, meanwhile, asks a federal appeals court to reconsider a ruling that would allow Texas to exclude clinics affiliated with abortion providers from getting funds from the Medicaid Women's Health Program.

Reuters: Planned Parenthood Asks Court To Reconsider Texas Health Ruling
Planned Parenthood asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to reconsider a ruling that would allow Texas to exclude it from a health program for low-income women, as opponents of the rule packed a public hearing to express their outrage. A three-judge panel of a federal appeals court ruled last month that Texas may exclude groups affiliated with abortion providers from the Medicaid Women's Health Program, which provides cancer screenings, birth control and other health services to more than 100,000 Texas women (MacLaggan, 9/5).

The Associated Press: Texas Hearing On Planned Parenthood Gets Emotional
State lawmakers, hospital system administrators and dozens of women urged Texas officials Tuesday not to sever funding to Planned Parenthood under a law barring state support for clinics affiliated with abortion providers. A smaller, but no less vocal, number of people opposing abortion turned out to applaud the move during an emotionally charged public hearing (Weissert, 9/5).

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Takes Public Comments On Women's Health Program
A panel of Department of State Health Services officials heard public comments Tuesday on proposed rules for the Texas Women's Health Program that would strike Planned Parenthood from a list of available providers. Emotions ran high as people from both sides of the argument appealed to the panel…. The state-run women's health program will replace the current mostly Medicaid-funded program, but the federal government has said it will pull its funding because the state is not complying with federal law by trying to exclude Planned Parenthood (Cardona, 9/4).