The state of Texas' decision to defund and remove reproductive health provider Planned Parenthood from Medicaid program is faced with much criticism. This led to a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood associates and 10 Medicaid patients.
Texas' decision followed the release of video series where Planned Parenthood officials were caught discussing fetal tissue donation with undercover anti-abortion agents. The undercover videos were produced by an anti-abortion group whose agents posed as representatives from a biomedical company.
An Attack on Women's Reproductive Health and Rights
The lawsuit stated that Texas' move against Planned Parenthood had nothing to do with healthcare. Rather, the move has more to do with politicking when Republicans rushed to cut Planned Parenthood's funding after the undercover videos were released in mid-July.
"Texas's attempt to cut 13,500 women from health care is mean-spirited and cruel. Politicians are looking to score a few cheap, shameful political points at the expense our patients who face the greatest challenges accessing care," said Planned Parenthood South Texas's CEO and President Jeffery Hons.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America's President Cecile Richards echoed Hons by stating how Texas politicians seem to be looking for creative ways to demolish women's rights and reproductive well-being. Defunding Planned Parenthood will leave tens of thousands of women with no access to HIV tests, cancer screenings and birth control.
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' CEO and executive vice president Dr. Hal C. Lawrence expressed that enforcing legal barriers on reproductive health care, especially ones that affect low-income women, will lead to the growth of health inequalities both sides should be focused on addressing in the first place.
Less Healthcare, More Politicking
The lawsuit is part of Planned Parenthood's long-standing battle with the state whose 2012 effort to kick the health provider out of the Texas Medicaid Women's Health Program led to a battle in court. The state health program offers not only cancer screenings for underprivileged women but also family planning services.
In 2013, the state passed a new set of laws which restrict abortion access, a move that has attracted many abortion rights supports and opponents. Same attempts in Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas were kept at bay by the federal courts however; lawsuits still find their way to the courts.
