Last month, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would stop funding Planned Parenthood. Texas officials took this a step further by announcing that the organization will no longer be receiving funds from state Medicaid money. In a letter sent to all Planned Parenthood clinics in the Lone Star state, Texas health officials said that all funding from Medicaid was being cut as a result of what was referred to as “program violations” captured in videos showing Planned Parenthood officials selling fetal tissue. It came to light that these videos were staged and manipulated by a pro-life group, the Center for Medical Progress.
Despite the public knowledge that these videos are fraudulent, many pro-life politicians are capitalizing on them to push legislation that would put an end to Planned Parenthood. “The gruesome harvesting of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood will not be allowed in Texas and the other barbaric practices must be brought to an end,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the announcement.
Louisiana governor and Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal was responsible for getting the ball rolling in regards to defunding Planned Parenthood in his state. The organization sued, and just recently a federal judge ordered that Louisiana continue funding for two more weeks, as the lawsuit makes its way through the legal system.