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Email: "Planned Parenthood Gets to Keep $700,000 in State Funding: Missouri Supreme Court"

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Funds given in violation of state budget rules but majority court ruling discounted that explicit limitation BY LifeSiteNews.com By John JalsevacJEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, August 10, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Supreme Court of Missouri has decided that the state’s two Planned Parenthood branches may keep a total ofÂnearly $700,000 in state funding, which they had initially been ordered to return to the state. A series of lower court rulings had affirmed that the organization must return the moneys, which were granted under the umbrella of a state-instituted family planning program. That state funded program remunerated health-care providers for gynaecological services provided for low-income women. The Legislature, however, in forming the language of the legislation, had excluded abortion-providers from receiving such funds. Despite the exception thatÂexcluded abortion-providers from receiving funds, between 2000 and 2003 Missouri’s two branches of Planned Parenthood received a total of $668,850 from the state health department. Planned Parenthood was subsequently ordered by a series of court decisions to return the money they had received from the state, along with 9% annual interest. The Supreme Court, however, in a 4-3 ruling, ruled on Tuesday that Planned Parenthood could keep the funds. The majority opinion argued that the health department director had the authority to enter into contract with and dispense the funds to Planned Parenthood, and that Planned Parenthood itself had engaged in no coercion, but hadÂfollowed the necessary steps to abide by the contract. The dissenting opinion, however, pointed out that awarding the monies to Planned Parenthood violated state budget laws, and thus Planned Parenthood could not have abided by any valid contract. “In short, the (health department) director had no authority to enter into the contracts with Planned Parenthood,” dissenting judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. wrote, “because the defendants were too intertwined with their abortion providers and, consequently, they were not eligible for funding under the appropriations statute.”  The lawsuit was brought against Planned Parenthood by private taxpayer, Daniel Shipley, president and CEO of St. Charles-based Gateway Medical Research Inc. About the Supreme Court’s decision Shipley said, “So basically, if the department of health chooses to do what they want, and the state attorney general does not proceed to recover the moneys that were inappropriately distributed, then the citizens of the state have no avenue to seek compensation or reimbursement - that’s a shame.”“I am disappointed by this decision, which undermines the Legislature’s ability to spend tax dollars in accord with the values of Missourians,” said Governor Matt Blunt, who has said that Planned Parenthood should have been required to return the money. http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/planned-parenthood-gets-to-keep-700000-in-state-funding-missouri-supreme-co/

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