The State Supreme Court says the State Health Department did have the power to contract with Planned Parenthood for family planning services in 2002 and 2003. The Court has rejected a challenge to the contracts and has rejected claims that Planned Parenthood has to pay back the money. The Legislature had put language into an appropriations bill saying Planned Parenthood could not get the money because the organization has an arm that performs abortions. Planned Parenthood had argued that its family planning functions had been separated from its abortion services. It’s a 4-3 ruling. Dissenting judges disagree that the Director of the Health Department had the power to enter into the contract because the family planning part of Planned Parenthood remained too intertwined with the organization’s abortion providers.
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