Ohio cuts funding for Planned Parenthood after court ruling

Planned Parenthood will lose their state funding and some federal funding before the end of April, after an appeals court ruled an Ohio law could be enforced.

[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83"]P[/dropcap]lanned Parenthood will no longer receive state funding after an appeals court upheld an Ohio law that restricts state and federal funding for abortion providers.Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), sent a letter Thursday to all Planned Parenthood locations and other ODH contractors, notifying them that they must now comply with Ohio Revised Code 3701.034, after it was recently upheld by an appeals court.Ohio Revised Code 3701.034 bans the use of state funds and some federal funds for “promoting or performing non-therapeutic abortions.” This law was passed in 2016 under House Bill 294 and was signed into law by former Gov. John Kasich.[AdSense-A]The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier in March that the law was not unconstitutional and could take effect. Previously, a district court prevented the law from taking effect, finding it unconstitutional. After the state appealed the district court’s decision, a three-judge panel at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals also found it unconstitutional. Then state Attorney General Mike DeWine asked the court of appeals to hear the case again “en banc,” meaning every judge on the appeals court would have to rule on the case instead of just three. The full court ruled 11-6 in favor of the state, allowing the law to take effect.Barring another court ruling, Planned Parenthood will stop receiving state and some federal funds by Apr. 20, 2019. These federal funds come from various education and health programs.Iris E. Harvey, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, criticized the law in a tweet Thursday.Planned Parenthood said in a press release that these funding cuts will affect their ability to provide STI and cancer screenings, and their efforts to reduce infant mortality. The state disputed these claims in a recent court filing, and said that the funds lost account for only around 5 percent of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio’s revenue. The state also claimed that Planned Parenthood can make up for any lost revenue with increased fundraising.