U.S. Court Says Kansas Can Pull Planned Parenthood Funds

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Kansas can withhold federal family-planning money from two Planned Parenthood clinics while the nonprofit reproductive-health group pursues its suit against a state law that stripped the funds, reports the Associated Press.

Kansas is among several Republican-led states that have sought in recent years to eliminate taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services. The Kansas case involves federal Title X money to provide cancer screenings, birth control, and other non-abortion services to low-income women.

A lower-court judge blocked enforcement of the Kansas law in 2011, ruling that it unconstitutionally penalized Planned Parenthood for advocating for abortion rights and ordering the state to continue funding the clinics in Wichita and Hays. The state appealed, leading to Tuesday’s decision, which is not a final ruling on the merits of the case but does reject the nonprofit group’s contention that the law violates its free-speech rights.