Missouri pushes again to defund Planned Parenthood, an effort repeatedly ruled unconstitutional

After the Missouri legislature voted to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements last year, Planned Parenthood sued. A judge concluded it was unconstitutional for the state to deny access to funds available to other health care providers, but the attorney general's office is appealing.
Missouri’s Supreme Court will once again determine whether the state has the authority to restrict public funds from going to Planned Parenthood, after the state formally filed its appeal last week of a December ruling that deemed its efforts unconstitutional.

After the state legislature voted to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements last year, Planned Parenthood sued. In December, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem concluded it was unconstitutional for the state to deny access to funds available to other health care providers.

The attorney general’s office announced its intention to appeal earlier this year, and last week filed the appeal on behalf of the Department of Social Services, which oversees Missouri’s Medicaid program.