The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a ruling that would have blocked the Biden administration from withholding family planning grant money from Oklahoma because the state refused to provide abortion referrals.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court denied Oklahoma's emergency request to block the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from withholding $4.5 million in tax money. million The court would halt state funding while it appeals the lower court's decision. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch would have allowed Oklahoma to move forward, but According to According to order.
2021, HHS Adopted rule Need Title X grant recipients are required to provide pregnant clients with “neutral, fact-based information and non-prescriptive counseling” about options, including abortion.
Justices Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch, in dissent, #Supreme Court We *reject* the state's request that Oklahoma continue to receive federal Title X funds despite the state's refusal to publish a nationwide phone number for abortion counseling. pic.twitter.com/AillqrZzDc
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) September 3, 2024
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Double-sided In July, he refused to negotiate with HHS to stop the agency from withholding grant funding from Oklahoma. Oklahoma went to the Supreme Court early The company plans to allow access to the funds while it appeals the decision in August.
“Title X does not expressly impose any obligation to provide abortion counseling or referrals,” the state said. Written “Accordingly, HHS cannot impose abortion counseling or referral requirements on Title X grant recipients,” the emergency application states.
The state argues that the restrictions “impose requirements on Oklahoma regarding issues that residents specifically identified as issues to be addressed in the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.” (RELATED: Supreme Court reinstates Idaho abortion ban)
“The Department of Health and Human Services has deliberately imposed executive branch policy preferences on states, including Oklahoma, in an attempt to upset the federal-state balance on this important issue,” the state argued.
Attorney General Elizabeth Preloger Written The government brief argues that HHS's actions do not affect states' “ability to restrict abortion within their borders.”
“The Oklahoma Legislature has already provided replacement funding to fill the shortfall created by last year's funding cuts and there is no doubt they can do so again this year,” the report states.
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