The U.S. Department of Justice announced support of Planned Parenthood in its lawsuit against Louisiana for attempting to cut Medicaid funds to the program, according to The Hill.
The DOJ filed a brief in federal court ahead of Wednesday's hearing saying that Louisiana does not provide sufficient reason to defund Planned Parenthood, and that doing so would violate federal law under the Medicaid statute's "free choice of provider" provision.
Following the release of videos that show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the price of fetal tissue samples for medical research, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced plans to terminate Planned Parenthood from the state's Medicaid program, according to the report. Two other states, Alabama and Arkansas, have sought similar measures.
Gov. Jindal said Louisiana's Medicaid contract allows it to cancel with providers at will, but the DOJ says federal law overrides the state's contract, according to the report.
Read the full report here.
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