The state of Alabama was blocked by a federal judge last Wednesday from removing Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid funding. The move struck a major blow against those pro-life lawmakers seeking political gain in the aftermath of the most recent Planned Parenthood “scandal” (which has been debunked in the court of law as a heavily edited scam).
The move against funding began on August 6, when Robert Bentley, governor of Alabama, notified Planned Parenthood Southeast (PPSE) that Medicaid provider agreements were being terminated, effective in two weeks. Hours later, Bentley stated he was ending the agreements because he no longer wanted any connections between PPSE and the state. He said he had “too much respect for human life to continue a relationship with an organization that performs abortions”.
The American Civil Liberties Union then stepped up to defend Planned Parenthood by filing a lawsuit and requesting the court to stop the terminations. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson did so on October 28. Planned Parenthood saw a large backlash from conservatives after the release of the videos, which were edited to make Planned Parenthood employees look guilty of selling aborted fetal tissue under the table. It was all complete nonsense of course, but it caused quite the riot. The videos increased the efforts of pro-life advocates, leading PPSE and other affiliates to experience protests, harassment and death threats.
Republican legislators in 10 states from the Northeast to upper Midwest attempted to boot Planned Parenthood from Medicaid programs. In the end, no evidence of fetal tissue sales or other wrongdoing was discovered. It was all a hoax, and a ballsy one at that.