Arguments Heard in Planned Parenthood of Indiana Funding Appeal

Arguments have been made in the case of an Indiana law that blocked public funding for abortion providers.Public funds cannot currently pay for abortions, but the law is based on the idea that giving any Medicare or Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood for other medical procedures helps to subsidize abortion.Planned Parenthood and the ACLU challenged the law, saying the state cannot limit patients' choice, and the courts have thus far sided with them. The state argues that not only is the legislation legal, but that any challenges to it should be secondary to a federal dispute.The federal government has rejected Indiana's attempts to bring Medicare and Medicaid regulations in line with the new law. The federal government has also threatened to strip Indiana of all of its Medicaid funding if the law remains in place. An appeal to that matter will be heard in December.