Texas Will Keep Tax-Funding Planned Parenthood, For Now

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 31, 2012   |   4:11PM   |   Austin, TX

The state of Texas announced this afternoon that it will continue funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business through its women’s health program until it can verify it has enough alternatives to meet the non-abortion health needs of women in the state.

Health and Human Service Commissioner Kyle Janek said Wednesday the state needs more time to sign up doctors and health centers for its new program that will provide family planing services without also doing abortions.

Janek said the state will continue taking federal funds, according to an AP report, making it so the state will be required to fund Planned Parenthood until it can fund the state health program on its own without federal taxpayer dollars.

Gov. Rick Perry has said he doesn’t want taxpayer funds going to Planned Parenthood and said he is confident that state funding of Planned Parenthood will end soon.

The Houston Chronicle has more details:

Planned Parenthood will remain part of the Women’s Health Program for now, state officials said Wednesday, citing court cases and the continued flow of federal funds to help pay for the program.

State officials had said they planned to implement a state-funded program allowing Texas to ban Planned Parenthood and other affiliates of abortion providers. The new rules governing the program were to be implemented Thursday.

Texas officials on Wednesday said that the state-funded program is ready to go, but that they are not yet abandoning the federal program, and it is unclear when that will happen. They said federal officials have suggested they can’t provide funding past Dec. 31 under the current plan to have Texas take over the program.

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A state court last week issued a temporary restraining order against the ban on Planned Parenthood after a federal appeals court earlier ruled in the state’s favor on a similar issue. A state court hearing on the matter is scheduled November 8 following a new state lawsuit from Planned Parenthood. https://www.lifenews.com/2012/10/26/court-texas-has-the-right-to-de-fund-planned-parenthood/