By Chelsey Youman – August 18, 2023
On Tuesday, August 15, a federal judge presided over a showdown between the State of Texas and Planned Parenthood that could result in a new victory on the road to holding Planned Parenthood accountable and protecting children from the organization.
The story of what led to this lawsuit, which was filed in Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s court in Amarillo, begins nearly a decade ago.
In 2015, citizen journalists went undercover at Planned Parenthood abortion facilities across the United States. Inside Planned Parenthood’s labs, the journalists posing as tissue procurement agents documented gut-wrenching atrocities against babies and deception of their mothers. This horror takes place in our communities behind the closed doors of Planned Parenthood every day, and this investigation was the first of its kind to show taxpayers what their money was funding.
These journalists also documented rampant disregard for the law among Planned Parenthood leadership, including admissions that they regularly violate federal law by using illegal methods to obtain human organs and tissues, which they then sell to procurement companies. By committing these crimes, Planned Parenthood affiliates disqualified themselves from state Medicaid programs – and Texas and Louisiana quickly moved to protect taxpayer funding from the organization.
But despite being kicked out of these state Medicaid programs, Planned Parenthood didn’t stop billing those taxpayers for reimbursements. And then they failed to repay the money they shouldn’t have obtained. That’s why Planned Parenthood is now facing a massive lawsuit.
Reuters reports:
Texas and the anonymous plaintiff are seeking to force Planned Parenthood to return money it collected from Texas’ and Louisiana’s state Medicaid programs after the states tried to cut off its funding, plus heavy additional penalties.
A hearing in the case was held on August 15. Read more about the case HERE.
Planned Parenthood receives hundreds of millions in “government” funding every year. In 2021, the government gave the abortion giant more than $633M from taxpayer pockets. Taxpayers should take Planned Parenthood funding personally, because it is personal.
This is by no means Planned Parenthood’s first time being sued for Medicaid fraud in Texas, but with $1.8B hanging in the balance, this could have an unprecedented financial impact on the abortion giant.
Even with fraud and taxpayer money aside, Planned Parenthood is a killing organization built on ending the lives of innocent children. Planned Parenthood needs to be shut down – urgently – and I pray this case brings us much closer to that goal.
Chelsey Youman is Texas State Director and National Legislative Advisor for Human Coalition Action
