MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Planned Parenthood Southeast Friday filed suit against the State of Alabama and Governor Robert Bentley over his decision to cancel the state’s family planning contract with the abortion provider following allegations the organization sells the body parts of aborted babies.
“[Alabama officials are] hell-bent on ending a woman’s ability to make her own deeply personal and private health decisions,” said Planned Parenthood Southeast CEO Staci Fox in a statement announcing the suit.
“Governor Bentley is trying to dictate where a woman can go for contraception and other preventive care if she’s enrolled in Medicaid,” the statement continued. “Meanwhile, Alabama is dealing with some of the nation’s worst health outcomes, and restricting access to providers will do nothing to help the urgent problems we face.”
The Obama administration threatened to strip Medicaid funding from the Yellowhammer state because of Governor Bentley’s decision.
“Longstanding Medicaid laws prohibit states from restricting individuals who have coverage through Medicaid from receiving care from a qualified provider,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Kevin Griffis. “By restricting which provider a woman could choose to receive care from, women could lose access to critical preventive care, such as cancer screenings.”
The Governor’s response to the threat was definitive: “The Governor will not be threatened by the Federal Government over this issue,” said Governor Bentley spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis.
“The contract with Planned Parenthood allows either party to terminate on 15 days written notice,” Ardis continued. “The deplorable practices at Planned Parenthood have been exposed to Americans, and the Governor terminated any association with the organization in Alabama. As a doctor and Alabama’s Governor, the issue of human life, from conception to birth and beyond, is extremely important to him. He respects human life, and he does not want Alabama to be associated with an organization that does not.”
A request for comment from the Governor’s office on the lawsuit was not immediately returned. This story may be updated to include a statement when it is received.
Planned Parenthood has also sued Louisiana and Governor Bobby Jindal (R) for its similar contract cancellation.
A recent Alabama Department of Health inspection report of the Mobile Planned Parenthood location, part of Planned Parenthood Southeast, revealed startling details of unsanitary conditions and failure to report the possible sexual abuse of a 14-year-old young woman who received two abortions at the clinic within a space of four months.
The deficiencies report, a public document required of all clinics in Alabama, describes the areas where a facility falls short of either the health and safety regulations or legal requirements of the state.
Perhaps the most startling violation described is the failure of the clinic to report the possible sexual abuse of a minor. The inspection found a 14-year-old patient, referred to in the report as “MR#16,” had recently received her second abortion in 4 months from the clinic. The woman had already given birth to two other children.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
