Planned Parenthood sues Utah governor

Planned Parenthood of Utah has filed a lawsuit against Republican Gov. Gary Herbert for blocking several hundred thousand dollars worth of federal grants to the healthcare provider.

“While we have always known that playing politics with the lives of Utahns is wrong and short-sighted, we have learned that Gov. Herbert’s actions are also unconstitutional,” Planned Parenthood Association of Utah CEO Karrie Galloway wrote in a statement Monday.

{mosads}The lawsuit comes about two months after Herbert instructed the Utah Department of Health to stop handing out grants to Planned Parenthood in light of “ongoing concerns about the organization.”

Planned Parenthood’s regional offices have already filed lawsuits against the governors of Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama, who have tried to defund the organization by restricting the flow of state Medicaid dollars. The Obama administration has backed Planned Parenthood’s case, warning the governors that restricting federal Medicaid dollars was illegal.

Herbert’s attempt to halt Planned Parenthood funding, however, appears to be unique among his Republican counterparts.

Utah Department of Health spokesperson Tom Hudachko told KSL.com last month that the department is allowed to terminate its contract agreements with 30 days written notice.

Utah’s Planned Parenthood receives about $200,000 in federal grants each year, a small fraction of its $8 million budget. The funding is specifically devoted to sex education programs and STD testing.

Planned Parenthood has been under intense scrutiny nationwide after a series of undercover videos raised questions about the provider’s practice of fetal tissue donation in California. Since then, three congressional committees and nearly a dozen states have investigated local Planned Parenthood clinics, though none have proven any wrongdoing.