Planned Parenthood fights defunding in Florida, sues to keep Medicaid dollars

Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit in federal court attempting to reverse Florida’s recent decision to ban taxpayer funding for abortion facilities and mandate annual inspections of their records.

The lawsuit claims the law, signed in March will “punish, harass and stigmatize the state’s abortion providers for their and their patients’ exercise of constitutional rights.” Planned Parenthood stands to lose $200,000 a year in Medicaid funds starting in July, if the law survives.

“Let’s call this what it is: an attack on people who already have the least access to care, all in the name of politics,” Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida president Barbara Zdravecky declared.

However, states routinely exercise discretion over which organizations they deem acceptable recipients of Medicaid funding, and a lack of comprehensive abortion reporting is a significant complication to accurately gauge reasons why women have abortions, as well as determining the number of medical emergencies and complications associated with abortions.

Representatives for Florida Governor Rick Scott and the state health department say they are still reviewing the lawsuit.