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Mark Lee Dickson
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Federal government joins Texas lawsuit against Planned Parenthood
The federal government has announced it will join Texas' lawsuit against Planned Parenthood over purported Medicaid fraud.
After undercover videos from the Center for Medical Progress showed Planned Parenthood executives haggling over the price of body parts of babies they had aborted, the state of Texas sought to remove the abortion corporation as a Medicaid recipient in 2017.
Planned Parenthood continued to bill for, and receive, Medicaid reimbursements.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued in 2022 to recover $10 million paid to Planned Parenthood, as well as over $1 billion in damages. The lawsuit is ongoing.
The federal government has announced it will be joining the lawsuit.
In 2015, undercover Center for Medical Progress (CMP) videos revealed the illegal selling of body parts from aborted babies within the abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood. These videos showed Planned Parenthood executives across the country haggling and negotiating over prices and profit, and caused widespread outrage. Several videos took place in Texas. As Live Action News previously reported:
One of the incriminating videos was shot inside Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast in Texas, where a Planned Parenthood employee explained that making it look like they didn’t profit from fetal tissue was “just a matter of line items.” Another video featured abortionist Amna Dermish of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas discussing how she more effectively harvests fetal body parts during abortions.
In response, Texas sought to remove Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid recipient, and was successful in 2017. Yet Planned Parenthood continued to bill for and receive reimbursements, leading Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to sue in 2022 to recover $10 million paid after 2017, as well as over $1 billion in damages.
“It is unthinkable that Planned Parenthood would continue to take advantage of funding knowing they were not entitled to keep it,” he said in a news release at the time. “I will not allow them to benefit from this abhorrent conduct after they were caught violating medical standards and lying to law enforcement.”
Texas U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that Planned Parenthood had to return the funds in 2023, but that ruling was overturned by a three-judge panel from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2025.
In August of 2026, the full appeals court dismissed Planned Parenthood's appeal, returning the case to the district court and allowing the lawsuit to continue.
According to the New York Times, the Trump administration has now joined the Texas lawsuit. The Department of Justice informed a federal court of its involvement, with the case expected to go to trial next year.
In the filing, the federal government said it plans "to try the case under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including Rule 15(b)." Rule 15(b) allows parties to bring up issues during a trial that weren't specifically included in the original lawsuit under certain conditions. In this case, the government is arguing that it isn't making any new accusations, but simply providing more evidence to support existing claims.
For its part, Planned Parenthood said this is nothing more than political persecution.
“This is an effort by the Trump administration to shut us down,” Susan Baker Manning, who is representing Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. “It is going to weaponize the Department of Justice against us.”
Nathan Johnson, who will replace Paxton as Texas' attorney general in 2027, did not give much insight into how he would respond.
“We are reviewing this action closely, including what it means for Texans and what the law allows,” he said in a statement. “When I take office as Attorney General, I will take appropriate action in the interests of my state.”
However, Johnson already announced he would not enforce Texas' pro-life law, HB7.
When the case does go to trial, Kacsmaryk will be the presiding judge. However, it is unclear if Johnson will continue to press the lawsuit after taking office.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Federal government joins Texas lawsuit against Planned Parenthood
The federal government has announced it will join Texas' lawsuit against Planned Parenthood over purported Medicaid fraud.
After undercover videos from the Center for Medical Progress showed Planned Parenthood executives haggling over the price of body parts of babies they had aborted, the state of Texas sought to remove the abortion corporation as a Medicaid recipient in 2017.
Planned Parenthood continued to bill for, and receive, Medicaid reimbursements.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued in 2022 to recover $10 million paid to Planned Parenthood, as well as over $1 billion in damages. The lawsuit is ongoing.
The federal government has announced it will be joining the lawsuit.
In 2015, undercover Center for Medical Progress (CMP) videos revealed the illegal selling of body parts from aborted babies within the abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood. These videos showed Planned Parenthood executives across the country haggling and negotiating over prices and profit, and caused widespread outrage. Several videos took place in Texas. As Live Action News previously reported:
One of the incriminating videos was shot inside Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast in Texas, where a Planned Parenthood employee explained that making it look like they didn’t profit from fetal tissue was “just a matter of line items.” Another video featured abortionist Amna Dermish of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas discussing how she more effectively harvests fetal body parts during abortions.
In response, Texas sought to remove Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid recipient, and was successful in 2017. Yet Planned Parenthood continued to bill for and receive reimbursements, leading Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to sue in 2022 to recover $10 million paid after 2017, as well as over $1 billion in damages.
“It is unthinkable that Planned Parenthood would continue to take advantage of funding knowing they were not entitled to keep it,” he said in a news release at the time. “I will not allow them to benefit from this abhorrent conduct after they were caught violating medical standards and lying to law enforcement.”
Texas U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that Planned Parenthood had to return the funds in 2023, but that ruling was overturned by a three-judge panel from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2025.
In August of 2026, the full appeals court dismissed Planned Parenthood's appeal, returning the case to the district court and allowing the lawsuit to continue.
According to the New York Times, the Trump administration has now joined the Texas lawsuit. The Department of Justice informed a federal court of its involvement, with the case expected to go to trial next year.
In the filing, the federal government said it plans "to try the case under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including Rule 15(b)." Rule 15(b) allows parties to bring up issues during a trial that weren't specifically included in the original lawsuit under certain conditions. In this case, the government is arguing that it isn't making any new accusations, but simply providing more evidence to support existing claims.
For its part, Planned Parenthood said this is nothing more than political persecution.
“This is an effort by the Trump administration to shut us down,” Susan Baker Manning, who is representing Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. “It is going to weaponize the Department of Justice against us.”
Nathan Johnson, who will replace Paxton as Texas' attorney general in 2027, did not give much insight into how he would respond.
“We are reviewing this action closely, including what it means for Texans and what the law allows,” he said in a statement. “When I take office as Attorney General, I will take appropriate action in the interests of my state.”
However, Johnson already announced he would not enforce Texas' pro-life law, HB7.
When the case does go to trial, Kacsmaryk will be the presiding judge. However, it is unclear if Johnson will continue to press the lawsuit after taking office.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Mark Lee Dickson
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
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Bridget Sielicki
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Cassy Cooke
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