Arkansas Joins Lawsuit to Block Federal Funding for Abortionists
On Monday Arkansas joined Ohio and ten other states in a lawsuit against the Biden Administration to stop federal funding of abortionists.
The lawsuit led by the Ohio Attorney General’s office seeks to close a loophole in federal rules and regulations.
On the whole, federal funds are not supposed to be used to pay for abortion except in cases of rape or incest or when the mother’s life or physical health are in jeopardy.
Title X of the Public Health Services Act provides federal funding for family planning services in America. However, the law contains a provision saying that the funds cannot be used for abortions.
To get around this provision in the law, abortionist like Planned Parenthood have been able to receive Title X funds, provided that they did not use the money to perform abortions.
However, we have long argued that giving groups like Planned Parenthood any federal funding at all helps subsidize their abortion business. If the money ultimately ends up at an abortion facility, it just makes it easier for them to fund and operate that facility.
In 2019 the Trump Administration closed this loophole with its Protect Life Rule.
The Protect Life Rule required “clear financial and physical separation between Title X-funded projects and programs or facilities where abortion is a method of family planning.”
This meant that Title X money couldn’t be used to fund family planning programs at an abortion facility like Planned Parenthood.
In October of 2021 the Biden Administration repealed the Trump Administration’s good rule and reinstituted the old policy that made it possible for abortionists to receive Title X funds.
On Monday, the States of Ohio, Arkansas, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia all filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that the Biden Administration’s rule change is arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to federal law.
It’s good to see Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and her team continuing to take a strong stand against the Biden Administration’s pro-abortion policies.
If successful, this lawsuit could block federal funds from going to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood under Title X. That would be a huge victory.
