High court won’t hear case on abortion

USA TODAY WASHINGTON The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to wade back into one of its most controversial subjects: abortion.

The court declined to consider Indiana’s appeal of a lower court’s decision striking down its law denying Medicaid funds to health care providers that perform abortions. The law was challenged by Planned Parenthood.

Federal and state laws block the use of government funds to perform most abortions, but the Indiana ban went further, denying Medicaid funds for other purposes as well. In order to receive funds, providers would have to create separate entities for their abortion services. Hospitals were excluded from the law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago ruled that the ban on Medicaid funds was unwarranted because it was not related to Planned Parenthood’s ability to perform medical services. It upheld a ban on federal block grant funds, however. The high court will let both rulings stand.

The state argued that taxpayers are forced to subsidize abortions when organizations such as Planned Parenthood get Medicaid funding, since the money frees up other resources for abortions.

Planned Parenthood, which operates 28 Indiana health centers serving about 9,000 people annually, contended its abortions are financed with private funds. By denying Medicaid funding, it said, the state threatened other services, ranging from cancer screening to testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

“Blocking Planned Parenthood from funding to provide preventive health care is both unlawful and deeply unpopular,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

She noted similar efforts to restrict taxpayer funds have been shot down in Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.