Missouri high court says Planned Parenthood can receive funding; cites failed appeal by state

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Missouri high court says Planned Parenthood can receive funding; cites failed appeal by state

BY DAVID A. LIEB
Updated 6:54 PM EST, February 14, 2024

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the latest attempt by Republican state officials to block taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, citing a failure in the state’s legal appeal.

The high court’s decision upholds a ruling by a trial judge, who found that a 2022 funding bill violated the state constitution. The budget bill sought to bar Medicaid health care dollars from going to Planned Parenthood because its affiliates elsewhere performed abortions. But the Supreme Court’s ruling was based on procedural grounds, not the merits of the claims.

The court said a trial judge had blocked the provisions in the funding bill for two reasons — because they violated the state constitution’s requirement that legislation contain a single subject and because they infringed on equal protection rights. The Supreme Court said Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office failed to appeal the equal protection claim and it thus must stand. As a result, the court said there was no reason to address the single-subject claim.

-snip-

Planned Parenthood said in a statement that the court had reaffirmed patients’ rights to receive its services for such things as cancer screenings and birth control.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-medicaid-planned-parenthood-5e343d00de4cc4b3e3a7bcbe5f56d2d6

[Timeflyer]

1. Good news. Until the next challenge to Planned Parenthood and women's bodily autonomy.

[Condescenturion]

2. Hope for Missouri

Look to Jess Piper, a Missouri "Dirt Road Democrat" who has re-framed the "Rural MO is Red" message as inaccurate. In fact, MO isn't red, it's uncontested. And she is contesting like a boss. MO needs more Blue leaders in rural areas to just sign on.