Federal Court Strikes Down Ohio Law Removing Funding for Planned Parenthood
On April 18, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a lower-court judge’s ruling striking down a law signed by Governor John Kasich in 2016 that banned Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from receiving funds through six federal health programs.
The three-judge panel ruled that because some of the programs provided by Planned Parenthood (such as STD prevention) are unrelated to abortions, Ohio has unfairly punished Planned Parenthood compared to other grant recipients simply because the health provider advocates for abortion rights “on its own time and dime.”
The panel ruled unanimously that cutting off all funding from Planned Parenthood is a violation of the organization’s freedom of speech and creates an “unconstitutional condition.” Judge Helene White wrote that the government “may not require the surrender of constitutional rights as a condition of...