Judge prevents Mississippi from defunding Planned Parenthood

Jardine Malado Monday, October 24, 2016

A sign is pictured at the entrance to a Planned Parenthood building in New York August 31, 2015. | REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

A federal judge blocked a Mississippi law that prevented Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding from the state.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III cited the decision of the 5th U.S. District Court of Appeals that struck down a similar law in Louisiana, declaring it as a violation of federal law, Reuters reported.

Planned Parenthood asserted in its complaint that the law violated the patient's constitutional right to choose a healthcare provider and stopped clinics from serving low-income patients.

According to CBS News, the lawsuit was filed by two Planned Parenthood affiliates which had been previously qualified to receive Medicaid payments for services like birth control and cancer screenings. It was reported that both of the affiliates do not perform abortions.

Medicaid records have revealed that the Planned Parenthood clinic at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has received $439 from the state between July 2013 and August 2015.

The ruling was welcomed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards.

"Yet another court has said it is unacceptable for politicians to dictate where women can go for their health care," she said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood will fight for our patients at every turn," she added.

Last April, the director of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services warned Medicaid agencies in all 50 states that they are not allowed to cut funding to medical providers even if it also provides abortions.

The law was signed by Gov. Phil Bryant in May and enacted in July. He governor expressed his disappointment with the judge's decision.

"I'm sorry to report that a federal judge has blocked a law that would have prevented your tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood," Bryant said in a statement on Facebook.

"I believe the law was the right thing to do and I will continue to stand with the Legislature and people of Mississippi who do not want their hard-earned money going to the largest abortion provider in the nation," he continued.