(DailyVantage.com) – A lawsuit by the state of Texas against Planned Parenthood wants them to repay millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements, which would hurt the organization, primarily funded through abortion services, through additional fines. A hearing has been scheduled with U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Previously, he ruled to invalidate the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, indicating that the state of Texas’s lawsuit, the first of its kind against the largest abortion provider, could have a favorable ruling.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the lawsuit last year. However, in a vote of 121-23, a bipartisan impeachment with the support of 60 Texas House Republicans and 61 House Democrats suspended Paxton over accusations of abuse and bribery. Paxton awaits a Senate trial now, which would occur before the Texas Senate. Paxton’s wife, Texas State Sen. Angela Paxton, has been disqualified from voting. Ken Paxton seeks to disqualify senators who may be biased or lack impartiality due to past statements against him.
As Attorney General, Paxton started the lawsuit over alleged false claims Planned Parenthood made through Medicaid reimbursements to which it was not entitled. This lawsuit comes as Texas Republicans have sought pro-life legislation and litigation against the abortion provider, who will have performed 374,155 abortions in 2023, approximately 40% of abortions in the United States. In 2022, Planned Parenthood will have made $1.9 billion, and $670.4 million has come from taxpayers through government reimbursements and grants.
Advocates of Planned Parenthood believe that the efforts are baseless and an effort to shut down health centers. They argue that Planned Parenthood could not have knowingly filed a false claim since Texas was responsible for paying the reimbursement. However, the organization has already faced difficulty in Texas since Governor Greg Abbott signed pro-life legislation to protect fetal life at the detection of a heartbeat. Already one of the three dozen Planned Parenthood clinics in the state has shut down, and soon additional fines can place more burden on the organization.
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