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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 22 February
Judge blocks Texas cutting Medicaid to Planned Parenthood

accusations that Planned
Parenthood manipulated
the timing of abortions
to benefit researchers.
Planned Parenthood has
denied those claims, and
Sparks said there was no
evidence the organization
violated ethical or medical
standards. “No taxpayer in
Texas should have to sub-
sidize this repugnant and
illegal conduct. We should
never lose sight of the fact
that, as long as abortion is
legal in the United States,
the potential for these
types of horrors will contin-
ue,” Paxton said in a state-
ment. A Houston grand
jury indicted two activists
A Planned Parenthood supporter and opponent try to block each other’s signs during a protest behind the videos over
and counter-protest in St. Louis. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Texas can’t cut off Medicaid how they covertly gained
dollars to Planned Parenthood over secretly recorded videos taken by anti-abortion activists in access inside a Planned
2015 that launched Republican efforts across the U.S. to defund the nation’s largest abortion pro- Parenthood clinic, but a
vider. judge later dismissed the
(AP Photo/Jim Salter) charges.q

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Sparks’ unsparing opinion
federal judge ruled Tues- excoriated Texas for not
day that Texas can’t cut providing “any evidence”
off Medicaid dollars to of Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood over wrongdoing and stalling on
secretly recorded videos the ouster for nearly a year.
taken by anti-abortion ac- “A secretly recorded vid-
tivists in 2015 that launched eo, fake names, a grand
Republican efforts across jury indictment, congressio-
the U.S. to defund the na- nal investigations — these
tion’s largest abortion pro- are the building blocks of
vider. An injunction issued a best-selling novel rather
by U.S. District Sam Sparks than a case concerning
of Austin comes after he the interplay of federal
delayed making decision and state authority through
in January and essentially the Medicaid program,”
bought Planned Parent- Sparks wrote. “Yet, rather
hood an extra month in the than a villain plotting to
state’s Medicaid program. take over the world, the
Texas is now at least the subject of this case is the
sixth state where federal State of Texas’s efforts to
courts have kept Planned expel a group of health
Parenthood eligible for care providers from a so-
Medicaid reimbursements cial health care program
for non-abortion services, for families and individuals
although a bigger ques- with limited resources.” Like
tion remains over whether in other states, Texas health
President Donald Trump will officials accused Planned
federally defund the orga- Parenthood officials of
nization. Sparks’ decision making misrepresentation
preserves what Planned to investigators following
Parenthood says are can- the release of secretly re-
cer screenings, birth con- corded and heavily edited
trol access and other videos by an anti-abortion
health services for nearly group last year. Investiga-
11,000 low-income women tions by 13 states into those
at 30 clinics. Texas originally videos have concluded
intended to boot Planned without criminal charges,
Parenthood in January and Planned Parenthood
but Sparks told the state to officials have denied any
wait pending his ruling. Ar- wrongdoing. Republican
kansas, Alabama, Kansas, Texas Attorney General
Mississippi and Louisiana Ken Paxton said the state
have also had similar ef- intends to appeal in a
forts blocked. statement that repeated