Steven Ertelt,LifeNews.com
Not content that its friends at Planned Parenthood are losing out on taxpayer funds in Indiana,the Obama administration is considering challenging the law,which the state is already enforcing.
Governor Mitch Daniels signed the law,which would cut off anywhere from $2 million to $3 million the Planned Parenthood abortion business receives in federal funds via the Indiana government through Medicaid.
The law also contains several pro-life provisions that directly affect abortion,such as banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on fetal pain. The legislation also contains provisions to end all state-directed funding for businesses that do abortions,to protect pain-capable unborn children beginning at 20 weeks,to opt-out of abortion coverage in any state health exchanges required under the new federal health law,to require that women considering abortion be given full,factual information in writing,and to require doctors who do abortions,or their designees,to maintain local hospital admitting privileges in order to streamline access to emergency care for women injured by abortion.
Planned Parenthood challenged the constitutionality of the law and filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis yesterday just hours after Daniels signed the legislation into law. It alleges the law would violate contracts already in place between it and the state and that it forces Planned Parenthood to choose between doing abortions and getting taxpayer funding.
However,Judge Tanya Walton Pratt declined to issue the injunction while she takes more time to analyze the legal issues involved in the lawsuit. That type of decision is usually an indicator that the judge will eventually issue a ruling against the party bringing the lawsuit.
Now,the New York Times reports the Obama administration may exercise its right to federal review of the law,because of the changes to Medicaid,and Obama official told the newspaper the administration will not approve the changes as adopted by Indiana. Although federal officials have 90 days to challenge the new law,the Obama administration may move sooner because of the current enforcement of it. The challenge may come in the form of partially or totally withholding federal Medicaid money from Indiana and threatening to do so often makes states comply. Of course,if the Obama administration follows through on the threat,it would hurt the poor Indiana residents the Medicaid program is designed to help.
The Times also indicates that the Obama administration is not a party to the lawsuit Planned Parenthood of Indiana filed against the law,but its move to challenge the law by threatening to revoke funding could make an impact on how the lower court handles the case,which it is expected to hear in two weeks.
Current federal law prohibits using the tax money to pay for almost any abortion,but the money can still go to groups like Planned Parenthood that do abortions and frees up funds they may otherwise spend on legitimate medical services to go to paying for or providing abortions. The Indiana law says any entity that does abortions is not eligible to receive the Medicaid funding.
If it is right you can bet that Obama and his inJustice Department are ready to challenge it. After all they have little to do after ignoring all the ligitimate cases they should be pursueing. You know like upholding the Constitution and federal law against the illegal invasion of our nation through the southern border,and pursueing legitimacy at the ballot box and upholding election laws.
What the crap? why bother? Every comment disappears under the the policy garbage. ENOUGH