Rohit Chandan
Planned Parenthood South Texas CEO Jeffrey Hons speaks to media after the state unexpectedly showed up at the San Antonio clinic with a subpoena in hand, which came days after Governor Greg Abbott cut off Medicaid funding for the organization.
Today, Planned Parenthood sued.
From the Texas Tribune:
Ten patients joined Planned Parenthood in the lawsuit, according to the organization. One of those is Kendra Hudson of Houston, who said a pap smear she got at a Planned Parenthood clinic allowed her to identify an abnormal growth and prevent it from developing into cancer.
When Abbott cut the funding, Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America promised to fight back, which they did today, by filing a federal lawsuit.
“It is completely outrageous that Texas officials are using thoroughly discredited, fraudulent videos to cut women off from preventive healthcare, including cancer screenings, HIV testing, and birth control,” Laguens, said. “We will fight back against this outrageous, malicious, political attack in Texas with everything we’ve got, and we will protect women’s access to the health care they need and deserve.”
According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Planned Parenthood clinics were reimbursed $3 million through Medicaid during the 2015 fiscal year.
