In one of the few substantive conservative victories during last year’s session, the Texas Legislature voted to ban abortion providers – including Planned Parenthood – and their subsidiaries from receiving state dollars. That law is now under attack, with the Obama Administration threatening to the health care of 130,000 women.
The Women’s Health Program has been in existence for a decade, providing cancer screening and reproductive health care (but not abortions) for low-income women.
The Obama Administration is holding women's health care hostage unless political allies get funding.
The Obama Administration is threatening to cut off federal funds for the program funding — and deny medical screening to some 130,000 Texas women — because 44 out of 2,500 clinics would no longer get funding under the new state law.
Apparently getting tax dollars into 44 clinics affiliated with his political allies at Planned Parenthood is more important to Barack Obama than the health of 130,000 women. That more than 2,400 real health clinics are providing these health care services is of no consequence to the radical left.
Arlene Wohlgemuth at the Texas Public Policy Foundation correctly notes nothing in federal law “prevents states from imposing their own requirements for qualified (health care) providers in addition to federal requirements. Indeed, the courts have long recognized this.”
The Texas Legislature was absolutely acting completely within its rights to limit the kind of providers would receive dollars from the federal-state health program.
State Sen. Jane Nelson of Flower Mound correctly notes that if the federal government follows through on the threat, the fault rests with liberals in Washington, DC, more committed to funding their political allies at Planned Parenthood than helping the least fortunate among us.
“If these services are interrupted, it will have a devastating impact on the health of Texas women — and the blame will lie squarely on the shoulders of the federal government, which has no authority to dictate which Texas providers can participate in our Medicaid program.”
Frankly, this should have you riled up no matter what you think about abortion. It’s yet another clear case of the federal government attempting to bully Texas into ceding its constitutional rights and responsibilities.
Like thugs in a bad movie, the Obama Administration is holding the health of low-income women hostage unless the state gives in to the abortion-politics of the radical-left.
Texans can fight back. Call your US representative and US senators; tell them to push against the Administration immediately.
We also need to let Texas Gov. Rick Perry know we support him standing up for Texas – and against the heavy-handed tactics of the Obama Administration – by calling his office at 512-463-1000.
