LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) — A federal judge issued an injunction on the Arkansas Department of Human Services, preventing the agency from ending Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which serves Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
The judge granted the temporary injunction Friday afternoon (Sept. 18); the same day the U.S. House voted to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.
The injunction concludes:
“The Court temporarily restrains ADHS for a period of 14 days from the date of the entry of this Order from suspending Medicaid payments to PPH for services rendered to Medicaid beneficiaries, including but not limited to the Jane Does.”
The order is scheduled to expire Oct. 2, 2015 at 4:55 p.m., the 14-day mark from when it was issued.
To read the injunction, click here.
In August, Gov. Asa Hutchinson had directed ADHS to terminate its existing Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood following the release of videos that claim to show Planned Parenthood doctors talking about the sale of fetal tissue. The secretly-recorded videos were released by an anti-abortion group.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit against ADHS following the governor’s order claiming his directive was illegal and would compromise reproductive care for low-income women.
Hutchinson released the following statement:
“As governor, I disagree with the Court’s decision. Ethical conduct by Medicaid providers is a relevant factor for the state to consider. Hopefully, the Court or a higher court will reconsider the preliminary decision once the facts are fully developed. It is disappointing that a judge appointed by President Obama does not give sufficient weight to the morally repugnant conduct of Planned Parenthood displayed in a series of recently released videos.”
