Little Rock, Ark., Aug 19, 2017 / 02:02 am
Arkansas may block tens of thousands of dollars in Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood, a panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has said.
"All patients should have access to ethical, quality and responsible health care, and should never be beholden to a company that is only seeking to protect its profits," Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in response to the decision, the Associated Press reports.
According to Rutledge, the Aug. 16 ruling found that Planned Parenthood and the three patients could not contest the state's determination "that a medical provider has engaged in misconduct that merits disqualification from the Medicaid program."
The 2-1 panel ruling comes two years after the state ended its contract with the organization over videos filmed by undercover investigators that appeared to show involvement in the illegal sale of fetal tissue for profit.