Planned Parenthood Offers Gift Certificates

Medicaid recipients have right to choose providers: White House

(NEWSER) - Indiana’s new law that strips Planned Parenthood of Medicaid funds took effect on May 10—but it's subject to federal review, and the White House says it won’t approve the measure. The Obama administration, which says the law denies Medicaid recipients’ right to choose healthcare providers, has 90 days to act, and federal officials can opt to withhold the state’s Medicaid funding if it feels its program doesn't comply with federal law, the New York Times reports. But such a move would ultimately harm those who the federal government wants to care for. More»

Will seek restraining order to halt defunding

(NEWSER) - Mitch Daniels signed a bill yesterday to defund Planned Parenthood in Indiana effective immediately, but the organization says it will try to prevent the move by seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction with the help of the ACLU. The bill cuts off government funding to any entity that offers abortions, but since hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers are exempted, it affects only Planned Parenthood, USA Today reports. Daniels says the organization "can resume receiving taxpayer dollars immediately by ceasing or separating its operations that perform abortions." More»

(NEWSER) - In this tough economy, requests for long-term contraceptives and abortions have spiked at family planning clinics, reports the Los Angeles Times. Planned Parenthood of LA County has seen its caseload jump 15% in just a year, and requests for IUDs nearly doubled in the first quarter compared to a year ago. A recent Gallup poll showed a correlation between finances and family planning. More»

Karen Handel says Planned Parenthood broke agreement not to alert media

(NEWSER) - Former Susan G. Komen VP Karen Handel says the foundation had a "gentle ladies' agreement" with Planned Parenthood that neither would alert the press when Komen cut off funding , and that Planned Parenthood broke it. "What happened is nothing short of a disgrace," she tells the Daily Beast . "Planned Parenthood launched a vicious attack on a nonprofit organization that fights breast cancer." She alleges that Planned Parenthood launched a concerted social media campaign to fuel outrage over the cuts, calling the organization a "gigantic bully" that used "Komen as its own personal punching bag." More»

This could change the conversation on reproductive rights: Salon columnists

(NEWSER) - The Susan G. Komen for the Cure controversy is a very big deal for women's reproductive rights, maybe the biggest in decades, write Salon columnists Rebecca Traister and Joan Walsh. "The overreach by the Komen foundation, while surely intended to strike yet another blow on the side of antiabortion activism, succeeded instead in waking a powerful constituency—armed with precisely the language and emotional heft they’ve been lacking for too long," they write. More»