A federal judge has issued an injunction against the Indiana law that restricted Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, arguing that the law illegally restricted the Medicaid recipients' choice of providers.
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U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt granted Planned Parenthood's request for an injunction in striking down the law's defunding provision as unconstitutional, and siding with federal Medicaid officials who have said states cannot disqualify Medicaid providers merely because they also offer abortions.
The U.S. Justice Department also had filed a brief siding with Planned Parenthood, with attorneys saying the law restricts Medicaid recipients' freedom to choose their health care provider.
Planned Parenthood in Indiana faced closing many clinics across the state, including many that did not provide abortions, due to the restrictions placed on the Medicaid funding.
Presumably this ruling will prevent those clinics from closing, and serve as a guide in states where similar restrictions on funding for Planned Parenthood have become law or are being considered (Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri).
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