Supreme Court allows federal cut in family planning funds for Oklahoma over abortion dispute September 4, 2024By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The U.S. Supreme Court Sept. 3 rejected Oklahoma’s effort to regain millions in federal family planning grants that the Biden administration rescinded over the state’s refusal to comply with its abortion referral requirements. The high court rejected the bid for emergency relief from Oklahoma, in which the state asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the Department of Health and Human Services from rescinding about $4.5 million in federal Title X funding from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. As is typical in emergency orders, the Supreme Court’s majority did not offer a rationale for their directive. The court said Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, indicating they would have granted the application. The Biden administration cut the funds for family planning projects in Oklahoma after the state refused to comply with a regulation requiring it to provide patients with a national hotline number for information about pregnancy options and include abortion as among those options. The state sued in response, arguing the government illegally imposed conditions for the funding that are not specified in the family planning program known as Title X, a program that provides reproductive health care and family planning services to people with low or no incomes. The federal government argued against the application for emergency relief, arguing the wider case is still ongoing. Oklahoma and 11 other states sued in response to the regulation, and that case is still pending in the lower courts. The issue could return to the Supreme Court. The move is the latest in a series of narrow actions from the high court on issues related to abortion since it issued its landmark ruling in June 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization, which overturned its previous abortion precedent, including Roe v. Wade. Read More Supreme Court In rare interviews, Alito defends court’s independence, reflects on impact of Dobbs leak Supreme Court hears key climate change lawsuit, but procedural question remains Supreme Court expected to hear religious liberty, gun and environmental cases in its new term Supreme Court strikes down some Trump priorities, but expands presidential power Supreme Court finds Trump executive order on birthright citizenship unconstitutional Supreme Court says Title IX permits Idaho, West Virginia transgender sports bans Copyright © 2024 OSV News Print
