Kansas has delayed cutting off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood facilities in the state and has postponed any action against the organization until June 7.
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri spokeswoman Bonyen Lee-Gilmore said Wednesday that the state sought another extension to prepare for the first hearing in a federal lawsuit challenging the cutoff and that the delays are sign of how the state's decision is "all political."
"Clearly, there's no public health emergency at play," she said.
Eileen Hawley, spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, said the delays give both sides adequate time to prepare their arguments and the judge time to review them. The latest postponement occurred Tuesday.
Last week, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment notified Planned Parenthood branches throughout the state that their Medicaid eligibility would be ending.
The agency was directed to do so by Brownback, who noted in his State of the State address back in January that no taxpayer dollars would go to Planned Parenthood, saying the organization sells baby body parts. The comments came after a hidden camera footage showed national Planned Parenthood employees allegedly trafficking fetal tissue. The Kansas Board of Healing Arts cleared Planned Parenthood after an investigation; a Texas grand jury indicted two anti-abortion activists involved with the undercover videos.
Planned Parenthood says Medicaid funding goes towards things like checkups, STD testing and treatment, not abortion services. The organization is suing the state, saying the action is politically motivated.
Planned Parenthood will have until June 7 before their Medicaid funding is cut.
Federal courts have blocked attempts to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in other states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Utah. But Brownback, a strong abortion opponent, said last week: "I think we're on solid grounds."
A hearing on Planned Parenthood's request for a court order blocking the Medicaid cutoff is scheduled for May 25.
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