We heard a lot about Planned Parenthood potentially being put out of business by Republican threats to cut the organization's funding but it was hard to imagine what that would look like. Until now.
“Patients found locked doors at Planned Parenthood centers across Indiana on Wednesday as the organization stopped services at 27 of 28 locations in an effort to save money,” TheIndyChannel.com reported Wednesday, so it was a day without pay for clinic workers. The clinics re-opened today.
As of last Tuesday, PPIN could no longer afford to see its 9,300 Medicaid patients unless they could afford to pay, and two disease intervention specialists are due to be laid off.
The cuts in access to care and the job losses are thanks to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels signing a law that denies public funding to health care providers that perform abortions, though federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions.
“Federal officials notified the state that the law violates Medicaid laws, which state a provider cannot be disqualified based on scope of services,” according to the Post-Tribune. Planned Parenthood is challenging the law, with U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt expected to make a decision by July 1.
Good luck to them. The clinic closings may have just been a cost-cutting measure, but what more eye-opening symbol could there be, of how fragile our rights are and how much some people want to take them away, than a locked clinic door?
“Patients found locked doors at Planned Parenthood centers across Indiana on Wednesday as the organization stopped services at 27 of 28 locations in an effort to save money,” TheIndyChannel.com reported Wednesday, so it was a day without pay for clinic workers. The clinics re-opened today.
As of last Tuesday, PPIN could no longer afford to see its 9,300 Medicaid patients unless they could afford to pay, and two disease intervention specialists are due to be laid off.
The cuts in access to care and the job losses are thanks to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels signing a law that denies public funding to health care providers that perform abortions, though federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions.
“Federal officials notified the state that the law violates Medicaid laws, which state a provider cannot be disqualified based on scope of services,” according to the Post-Tribune. Planned Parenthood is challenging the law, with U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt expected to make a decision by July 1.
Good luck to them. The clinic closings may have just been a cost-cutting measure, but what more eye-opening symbol could there be, of how fragile our rights are and how much some people want to take them away, than a locked clinic door?