Huzzah to the temporary defeat of this guy's effort to cut off Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood.

Huzzah to the temporary defeat of this guy's effort to cut off Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood.

Texas moved to cut off Medicaid funding on Monday for clinics in the state affiliated with Planned Parenthood. The state had previously removed the organization from most family planning funding, but had left the Medicaid payments in place.

The Texas Office of the Inspector General justified the cuts by citing undercover videos purporting to show that Planned Parenthood has been profiting off transfers of fetal tissue for research purposes. The videos are known to have been altered to make their case, private researchers have discovered.

Planned Parenthood officials have denied any law-breaking. Since the editing became known, some prominent national politicians have retreated from their original statements expressing shock and dismay over what they thought the videos showed.

In announcing the cut-off, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered up the usual crocodile lies about the state's "unyielding commitment to both protecting life and providing women's health services:"



"Ending the Medicaid participation of Planned Parenthood affiliates in the State of Texas is another step in providing greater access to safe healthcare for women while protecting our most vulnerable—the unborn," he said.

Lawyers for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, the Planned Parenthood arm that provides medical services in Louisiana, argued that Jindal's fight to cut funding for its non-abortion-related services is politically motivated. "In fact, uncontradicted evidence in the record at this time is that PPGC does not perform abortions in Louisiana, is not involved in the sale of fetal tissue and none of the conduct in question occurred at the PPGC's two Louisiana facilities," [U.S. District Judge John] deGravelles wrote in his 59-page ruling. He said it appears likely Planned Parenthood will be able to prove that the funding cutoff was being attempted for reasons unrelated to the organization's competence.

Meanwhile, in Louisiana, a federal judge has temporarily blocked Gov. Bobby Jindal's attempt to cut off Planned Parenthood funds beginning Monday:There are big differences between the two states. In most cases, federal and state monies are combined to cover Medicaid reimbursements. But two years ago, Texas lawmakers axed family planning providers having anything to do with abortion (even if they didn't directly provide the procedure) from the Medicaid Women's Health Program. Consequently, the federal government pulled its funding for the service, and it now costs Texans $36 million annually for the state-funded program.

There's more below.