Missouri judge hands Planned Parenthood a Medicaid win

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge has rejected Missouri lawmakers’ effort to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving any public funding. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cole County Judge Jon Beetem ruled Wednesday that the funding restrictions were unconstitutional. At issue was a bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Mike Parson in February to stop reimbursing Planned Parenthood for health care for Medicaid patients. While the state’s Medicaid program doesn’t reimburse for abortions, Planned Parenthood did seek reimbursements for other medical procedures. The group said in March, when it sued the state, that Missouri was ending reimbursements for birth control, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, and other non-abortion care.