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            Justices won’t hear states’ appeal over Planned Parenthood




            By MARK SHERMAN                                                                                                     That makes the Court’s de-
            Associated Press                                                                                                    cision particularly troubling,
            WASHINGTON  (AP)  —  The                                                                                            as  the  question  presented
            Supreme  Court  on  Mon-                                                                                            has  nothing  to  do  with
            day avoided a high-profile                                                                                          abortion,” Thomas wrote.
            case  by  rejecting  appeals                                                                                        The  dispute  over  funding
            from Kansas and Louisiana                                                                                           for  Planned  Parenthood
            in  their  effort  to  strip  Med-                                                                                  stemmed  from  the  July
            icaid money from Planned                                                                                            2015  release  by  the  anti-
            Parenthood,  over  the  dis-                                                                                        abortion  group  Center  for
            senting  votes  of  three  jus-                                                                                     Medical Progress of a series
            tices.  The  court’s  order                                                                                         of  edited  videos  purport-
            reflected  a  split  among  its                                                                                     edly  depicting  Planned
            conservative  justices  and                                                                                         Parenthood of America ex-
            an  accusation  from  Jus-                                                                                          ecutives  talking  about  the
            tice Clarence Thomas that                                                                                           sale of fetal tissue. Planned
            his  colleagues  seemed  to                                                                                         Parenthood has said it did
            be  ducking  the  case  for                                                                                         not seek any payments be-
            political  reasons.  New  Jus-                                                                                      yond  legally  permitted  re-
            tice  Brett  Kavanaugh  was                                                                                         imbursement of costs.
            among  the  justices  who                                                                                           Catherine  Glenn  Foster,
            opted not to hear the case.                                                                                         president  and  CEO  of  the
            The  two  states  were  ap-                                                                                         anti-abortion   Americans
            pealing  lower  court  rulings                                                                                      United  for  Life,  said  the
            that  had  blocked  them     In this Oct. 4, 2018 photo, the U.S. Supreme Court is seen at sunset in Washington.    court  should  have  heard
            from  withholding  money                                                                          Associated Press   the  case.  “But  the  good
                                                                      that  is  used  for  health  ser-  Medicaid  funding  deci-  news is that there are oth-
                                                                      vices for low-income wom-    sions,  private  individuals  or  er similar cases pending in
                                                                      en. The money is not used  only  the  federal  govern-    lower  courts,  which  may
                                                                      for abortions. Abortion op-  ment.  The  states  say  that  give  the  Supreme  Court
                                                                      ponents have said Planned  the  Medicaid  program,  another opportunity to de-
                                                                      Parenthood    should   not  a  joint  venture  of  federal  cide  this  important  issue.
                                                                      receive  any  government  and  state  governments  In  the  meantime,  AUL  will
                                                                      money, and they seized on  to  provide  health  care  to  continue to fight to protect
                                                                      heavily  edited  videos  that  poorer  Americans,  makes  states  from  being  forced
                                                                      claimed  to  show  the  na-  clear  that  only  the  Secre-  to  use  their  limited  public
                                                                      tion’s  largest  abortion  pro-  tary of Health and Human  funds to subsidize abortion
                                                                      vider  profiting  from  sales  Services  can  intervene,  by  businesses,” Foster said.
                                                                      of  fetal  tissue  for  medical  withholding  money  from  a  Planned    Parenthood
                                                                      research.     Investigations  state.  Most  lower  federal  president  Dr.  Leana  Wen
                                                                      sparked  by  the  videos  in  courts  have  found  that  praised  the  decision  to
                                                                      several  states  didn’t  result  private  parties  can  chal-  leave  the  lower  court  rul-
                                                                      in criminal charges.         lenge  Medicaid  funding  ings in place. “As a doctor,
                                                                      The  dispute  at  the  high  decisions in court, although  I have seen what’s at stake
                                                                      court  has  nothing  to  do  the  federal  appeals  court  when  people  cannot  ac-
                                                                      with  abortion,  as  Thomas  in St. Louis rejected a simi-  cess  the  care  they  need,
                                                                      pointed  out  in  a  dissent  lar  court  challenge  and  and  when  politics  gets  in
                                                                      that was joined by Justices  allowed  Arkansas  to  end  the  way  of  people  mak-
                                                                      Samuel Alito and Neil Gor-   its  contract  with  Planned  ing  their  own  health  care
                                                                      such.  Kavanaugh’s  deci-    Parenthood. A split among  choices.  We  won’t  stop
                                                                      sion not to join the three jus-  federal  appeals  courts  is  fighting  for  every  patient
                                                                      tices was his first discernible  often  a  reason  for  the  Su-  who relies on Planned Par-
                                                                      vote on the court. Had he  preme Court to step in.        enthood for life-saving, life-
                                                                      or Chief Justice John Rob-   “So  what  explains  the  changing care,” Wen said.
                                                                      erts voted to hear the case,  court’s refusal to do its job  Kansas’  outgoing  Republi-
                                                                      there would have been the  here? I suspect it has some-   can  governor  and  incom-
                                                                      four votes necessary to set  thing  to  do  with  the  fact  ing  Democratic  admin-
                                                                      the case for arguments.      that  some  respondents  in  istration  offered  differing
                                                                      The  issue  is  who  has  the  these  cases  are  named  reactions  to  the  court’s
                                                                      right to challenge a state’s  ‘Planned    Parenthood.’  action.q
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