Judge Gary Harger ruled today that the state of Texas may immediately implement a ban on funding for doctors and clinics who supply poor women with healthcare if they support abortion rights.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas can cut off funding to Planned Parenthood's family planning programs for poor women, a state judge ruled Monday.
Judge Gary Harger said that Texas may exclude otherwise qualified doctors and clinics from receiving state funding if they advocate for abortion rights, attorney general spokeswoman Lauren Bean said.
The state has long banned the use of state funds for abortion, but had continued to reimburse Planned Parenthood clinics for providing basic health care to poor women through the state's Women's Health Program. The program provides check-ups and birth control to 110,000 poor women a year, and Planned Parenthood clinics were treating 48,000 of them. [...]
Planned Parenthood has brought three lawsuits over Texas' so-called "affiliate rule," arguing it violates the constitutional rights of doctors and patients while also contradicting existing state law.
Basically -- if you practice honest medicine and are not a wingnut, you can be denied funding to treat poor women's basic health needs.
It's the abortion inquisition. This isn't a ban on funding for those who perform abortions. It's a ban on funding for anyone who simply supports abortion rights. The Texas state legislature is now the Thought Police.