Cincinnati, Ohio, Apr 19, 2018 / 13:07 pm
An Ohio law which blocked federal taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood clinics in the state was struck down by a federal appeals court on Wednesday.
The law, which was signed by Governor John Kasich in 2016, prohibited federal taxpayer money from going to clinics that perform abortions in the state of Ohio. That money, about $1.5 million, would be reallocated to organizations that do not perform abortions.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit unanimously overturned the Ohio law on April 18, saying that it overstepped Planned Parenthood's "due process rights," since Planned Parenthood would allegedly be using funds from six federal health programs for preventative health measures that are unrelated to abortion.
One of the panel judges, U.S. Circuit Judge Helene White, said that Planned Parenthood was simply claiming the "right not to be penalized in the administration of government programs based on protected activity outside the programs," according to Reuters.