Texas Senate approves legislation banning most abortions, testing Roe v Wade dailyrepublic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyrepublic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Planned Parenthood South Austin Health Center is seen following the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a Texas law requiring abortion clinics to meet basic health and safety standards, Austin, Texas, June 27, 2016. | Reuters/Ilana Panich-Linsman
A judge has issued an order allowing Texas to remove Planned Parenthood from the state Medicaid program, preventing the abortion provider from getting an injunction.
State District Judge Lora Livingston of Travis County issued an order on Wednesday, blocking the injunction request, arguing that Planned Parenthood should pursue action through federal courts.
“This decision is not made lightly. In the light of the ongoing public health crisis, the risks of the individual losing healthcare and medical attention requires increased attention and scrutiny,” wrote Livingston, as reported by the Austin-American Statesman.
, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Low-income patients will no longer be able to use Medicaid to get nonabortion health services at Planned Parenthood, after a Wednesday court decision said Texas can move forward with kicking the health provider out of its Medicaid program.
The decision takes effect Thursday, and leaves thousands of patients with few places to turn, Planned Parenthood said.
The decision is the latest in Texas officials’ yearslong effort to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state last year and health officials told Planned Parenthood s Medicaid patients they had until early February to find new doctors. But the health provider filed an emergency lawsuit saying the state had not followed the proper procedures.
A state judge ruled on Wednesday that Texas can remove Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program, preventing those enrolled from using the program to get nonabortion services from the organization.