Texas gov’t cuts HIV prevention funding for Planned Parenthood affiliate

“There will be no further renewals of this contract”, a DSHS official wrote in the notice to Planned Parenthood. The decision taken on Monday is considered to be a big win for Republican state leaders who for many years have asked to cut funding of Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast’s program, which received almost $600,000 in annual funding, also conducted HIV testing at nightclubs, prisons and college campuses throughout the state.

As the Hill reports, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (IG) announced that there will be an investigation of federal oversight on fetal tissue research.

On the basis of “acts of misconduct” unveiled in undercover filmed videos, Texas health officials have decided that they will exclude Planned Parenthood from the state Medicaid program. Chris Van Deusen, a department spokesman, said the service will be provided by local health departments in the area.

After noting that the move has a political motive, the Houston-area Planned Parenthood affiliate said in a statement, “It’s cruel to play games with people’s health care,”,.

Senators began seeking an audit of federal fetal tissue grantees in July, after the Center for Medical Progress released the first of the Planned Parenthood videos, because federal law prohibits profiting from the transfer of fetal tissue.

Planned Parenthood has denied any wrongdoing, saying a few clinics in two states used to accept legally allowed reimbursement for the costs of providing tissue donated by some of its abortion clients. Planned Parenthood’s abortion business and alleged profiteering from the sale of aborted babies’ parts only make this constitutional violation even more egregious by forcing Americans who disagree with these activities to pay for them. For one, if by some chance OIG’s investigation does turn up some illegalities on the part of Planned Parenthood, it would be up to the Obama administration to prosecute the organization – a highly unlikely occurrence. No other Planned Parenthood affiliate is now a recipient of the grant.

While Valenti explicitly showed her distaste concerning the terroristic attacks against Planned Parenthood, a different news website suggests that the reporter in talk implies that the people who released the videos should be jailed just as how the protesters and critics of The Draft were imprisoned during the World War I.

In moving to cut the organization’s Medicaid funding, the state also cited unspecified allegations of Medicaid fraud.