Michigan Republicans want to defund several independent clinics and local Planned Parenthood affiliates, which provide critical health services other than abortion care.
Despite the fact that the Trump administration has yet to score a legal victory in defending its Muslim ban, attorneys from the state of Texas want in on the case.
“This bill intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship by requiring doctors to become investigators and patients their suspects, and it does nothing to address the root causes of gender discrimination and bias,” said Ashley Wright, public policy manager for Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
The legislation would have only permitted abortions after 20 weeks in cases of life endangerment. Violators would have faced civil penalties of at least $500 and the suspension or loss of a medical license.
“This law had one purpose: to limit a woman’s access to her constitutionally-guaranteed medical care. We are pleased that the court has agreed,” said Nancy Abudu, legal director for the ACLU of Florida.
“If past is prologue, we could see a number of congressional attacks targeted not just to Planned Parenthood but that will compromise the sustainability of the entire family planning safety net,” said Audrey Sandusky, director of advocacy and communications for the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association.
The bill's vague language could have prevented public universities from buying fetal tissue from suppliers who obtain it from those who donated it after having abortions, even if the researchers paid only a processing fee.
“Representative Haugaard’s statement is not only erroneous, but irrelevant to the bill that was under deliberation," said Samantha Spawn, interim executive director for NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota.
"The reality is that defunding us only hurts people—especially the people who are already the most vulnerable," said Tayler Tucker of Planned Parenthood of Arizona. "It's still too revolutionary of an idea for a woman to own her own body."
