Erik Eubelacker reports:
A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood clinics through the GOP’s tax legislation, building on an earlier ruling that restored funding to just 10 clinics.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked the government from cutting off Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood members that didn’t provide abortion care or meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year — a narrow ruling affecting less than a dozen locations.
But the Barack Obama appointee went a step further on Monday, finding patients would likely suffer where care is disrupted or unavailable.
“In particular, restricting members’ ability to provide health care services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs,” Talwani wrote in a 58-page order.
The judge ruled that all Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding, slapping down the government’s efforts to kneecap the largest abortion provider in the country.
Read more at Courthouse News.