Court Rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood Funding
In a 2-to-1 decision, a U.S. appeals court has reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from ending Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, an effort undertaken after the Center for Medical Progress released numerous undercover videos exposing the largest provider of abortion in the country.
The earlier ruling that halted Arkansas' efforts to stop funding came from a lawsuit where three women suggested their rights were violated when they were not permitted to choose any qualified provider offering the services they were seeking.
Judge Colloton wrote that the women did not present a judicially enforceable federal right but also made clear state officials do not have unlimited authority to terminate Medicaid providers.
In a dissenting opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Michael Melloy stated four other federal appeals courts have found that a private right of enforcement existed.
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