The state of Louisiana has to wait a minimum of two more weeks before it is legally allowed to cut Medicaid funding from two in-state Planned Parenthood clinics, as it intended to do. The federal judge on the case is still seeking more information before the move can be legally justified. The ruling was made Sunday, October 18, 2015, by a Baton Rouge court.
Abortion opponents in Louisiana have been trying to push the stopping of the organization’s funding by circulating videos that allegedly show how Planned Parenthood has been profiting off of the under the table sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood has denied doing this, and the allegations have yet to be proven true.
U.S. District Judge John deGravelles has said that “this is all about the videotapes. A number of states have conducted investigations into the tapes and have vindicated Planned Parenthood. Before pulling the trigger and shutting people down, you do an investigation, not shoot first and ask questions later.” deGravelles has refused to allow the above claim regarding Planned Parenthood and the selling of fetal tissues, explaining that he has found Planned Parenthood to provide credible evidence that they had not taken part in this deal.
The state of Louisiana does not allow taxpayer money to cover abortions, so as of now, Medicaid and Planned Parenthood only cover reproductive care for men and women. Furthermore, the state of Louisiana doesn’t allow any of its clinics to perform abortions. If the Planned Parenthood centers are defunded, the low-income families of Louisiana will no longer have access to affordable reproductive care.