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On Tuesday, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law a bill that cuts government funding to Planned Parenthood. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana (ACLU-I) responded by filing a request for an injunction and temporary restraining order on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPI). US District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt denied that request in a Wednesday ruling, saying PPI did not show it will suffer irreparable harm without a temporary restraining order. By blocking funding to any health care provider that provides abortions, the bill cuts off roughly $1.4 million to PPI. Abortions represent about 6 percent of PPI’s services annually, said President Betty Cockrum. “The decision is devastating,” she said.
Ken Falk, legal director of ACLU-I, said the new law makes Indiana the first state to deny Medicaid funds for services such as STD treatment, cancer screenings, and Pap exams. State Solicitor General Thomas Fisher said in court Tuesday that although lawmakers intended to cut off all funding, about $1.5 million in Medicaid family planning block grants goes to PPI through a separate organization. The law does not affect those funds, he conceded.
Cockrum said 9,300 Medicaid patients at PPI’s 28 locations will lose services from their preferred provider, and she rejected claims that other providers could offer those same services. PPI must determine within days whether it can continue to serve Medicaid patients, “unless they are able to somehow pay for their services themselves,” she said. PPI will no longer be able to provide STD treatment to partners of patients in 22 counties, she added.
A hearing to consider PPI’s request for a permanent injunction is scheduled for June 6, and Pratt said she will rule on the matter before July 1, when abortion-related restrictions in the law go into effect.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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