Texas is Trying to Shut Down Planned Parenthood Health Centers with a Bogus Lawsuit: Here’s What You Need to Know, and How You Can Help

The Background

In a series of false claims, the state of Texas and an anonymous plaintiff are suing the three Planned Parenthood Texas affiliates and Planned Parenthood Federation of America for more than $1.8 billion. The state has been long aware that the Texas health centers were authorized to provide services, yet now Texas alleges that the Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers  defrauded the Medicaid system. 

The allegations have no merit — a previous court ruled that Planned Parenthood affiliates could provide birth control and other basic health care services. Worse, Texas knew these affiliates were providing the services. In fact, before launching this sham lawsuit and blatant political attack, the Texas Medicaid system reimbursed health center affiliates for the services, and never asked the affiliates to repay the state. Now Texas is demanding that Planned Parenthood pay as much as $1.8 billion in civil penalties on state Medicaid payments — payments that total less than $17 million over a four-year period.  

The Facts

• PPFA and the Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates did not commit Medicaid fraud. PPFA and the Texas affiliates have produced hundreds of thousands of documents and dozens of people have given testimony to show that there is no evidence that anyone at Planned Parenthood committed Medicaid fraud. 
• The state of Texas and anti-abortion extremists are abusing their power to try to strip Texans’ access to sexual and reproductive health care and shut down Planned Parenthood. This is a meritless and politically motivated case that attacks Planned Parenthood and the vital services our health centers provide in Texas.
• A recent study ranked Texas 50th among all states in access to high-quality prenatal and maternal care. Texas also has the largest percentage of uninsured people in the country. If Planned Parenthood were forced to pay more than a billion dollars in damages, it would have devastating consequences for patients, deepening the health care crisis in Texas. 
• Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and anti-abortion activists are using disinformation and a conservative court system to try to shut Planned Parenthood down and strip Texans, and all people in the U.S., of their access to health care, such as birth control, STI testing and treatment, and cancer screenings.