Pro-Life Group Sues Obama Admin for Ignoring State Anti-abortion Law
A New Hampshire pro-life group is suing the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) because it believes the department funneled grant money to Planned Parenthood facilities despite state legislation defunding abortion providers in the state.
New Hampshire Right to Life (NHRTL) is suing HHS for documents they believe will expose the Obama administration favoring Planned Parenthood for grant money after the state’s executive council denied funding to its clinics in six cities.
The $1 million HHS grant was announced in September. NHRTL argued local clinics and hospitals that don’t offer abortions were not allowed to apply for the grant and filed a Freedom of Information Act request in October asking the department to explain how grant recipients are chosen.
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NHRTL President Kurt Wuelper issued a statement explaining that New Hampshire tax payers "have the right to know why the Obama administration gave Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest baby killer, a million taxpayer dollars while cutting funding for state hospitals and community clinics."
NHRTL also wants the HHS to released similar documents for Planned Parenthood clinics in other states, suggesting the department may have also attempted similar grants in other states defunding abortion.
This year alone 19 states enacted 162 pro-life regulations on abortion according to a Guttmacher Institute report. Some on those regulations included legislation to cut off state and federal funding to abortion clinics.
Virginia, Florida, Idaho, Nebraska and Oklahoma have enacted state bans prohibiting health insurance from covering abortions.
In May, Indiana became the first state to bar federal tax dollars in the form of Medicaid payments to abortion clinics. States such as North Carolina soon followed suit.
The Obama administration denounced Indiana’s law in a letter asserting that withholding funds from Planned Parenthood would improperly keep some citizens from receiving vital health care services from a qualified provider. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels denied the letter’s claim, explaining that state residents still have 800 non-abortion facilities to choose from.
NHRTL has suggested that the administration may again be trying to strike down pro-life legislation by skirting state mandates to defund abortion providers. The Christian Post contacted the National Right to Life about this possibility. The agency did not answer its inquiry in time for publication.
NHRTL president Wuelper said the HHS continues to give out "unwanted abortion money” to the state’s abortion providers. New Hampshire's Executive Council voted 3-2 in June to stop federal grant money to Planned Parenthood.
Wuelper has sought HHS documentation to prove their claims. The department responded that they could not provide answer to their questions with 30 days the FOIA requires, according to Associated Press reports. The group is now suing for a judge order to speed up the request.
