Arkansas became the fourth state to strip Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood on Friday, defying a threat from federal officials that such an action may be illegal.
The state announced in a Friday letter to the women’s health organization that it is terminating its existing agreements with Planned Parenthood of Arkansas & Eastern Oklahoma. The organization was the subject of several undercover videos on its compensation for and procurement of aborted fetal material.
Alabama, Louisiana and New Hampshire have taken steps to strip Medicaid dollars for the organization, making Arkansas the fourth state to take action. Arkansas told Planned Parenthood that the group has the right to appeal the termination within 30 days.
The letter comes a few days after the Department of Health and Human Services warned that such an action may be breaking federal law. A 2011 guidance document says states can’t discriminate against Medicaid health providers just because they provide abortions to women using non-federal dollars, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Courts have previously struck down efforts by Indiana and Arizona to strip Medicaid dollars.
The states’ actions mirror similar desires among Republicans on Capitol Hill to defund Planned Parenthood after the first videos surfaced last month.
Planned Parenthood receives about $500 million a year in federal funding, but is restricted by federal law of using any of it for abortions.
