A federal judge is allowing Planned Parenthood clinics in Louisiana to continue receiving Medicaid funding, extending a temporary order he issued last week that thwarted an attempt by Gov. Bobby Jindal to block it.
Jindal, who is seeking the GOP presidential nomination and is ranked 10th in the Washington Examiner’s presidential power rankings, is one of several Republican governors trying to prevent the women’s health and abortion provider from getting taxpayer funding, in the wake of undercover videos highlighting its participation in supplying aborted fetal tissue for medical research.
U.S. District Judge John deGravelles issued an an injunction Thursday that continues protecting Medicaid funding for the Planned Parenthood clinics in Louisiana, according to the Associated Press. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast had sued to block the state from cutting off the funding, which it uses for services including cancer screenings and gynecology exams.
The clinics say they provide healthcare services to about 5,200 Medicaid patients, and none in the state provides abortion services.
Jindal and others have said Planned Parenthood doesn’t deserve to receive federal or state dollars, after Planned Parenthood admitted to providing the tissue and being compensated for it. The group has said it didn’t do anything wrong and has since prohibited individual clinics from accepting reimbursements.
Other states including Texas and Alabama also have tried to block funding to Planned Parenthood. A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Alabama to restore funding to the group.
