�鶹Ů��

The Obama administration has notified two states that took steps to halt Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood Federation of America that they may be in conflict with federal law. The law requires that Medicaid beneficiaries may obtain services, including family planning, from any qualified provider. States that terminate their Medicaid-provider agreements with Planned Parenthood restrict access by not permitting recipients to get services from providers of their choice, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. (Armour, 8/12)

The U.S. government has warned states moving to defund women's health group Planned Parenthood that they may be in conflict with federal law, officials said on Wednesday. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency, was in contact with officials in Louisiana and Alabama this month, said a spokesperson for the agency's parent, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency warned those two states that their plans to terminate Medicaid provider agreements with Planned Parenthood may illegally restrict beneficiary access to services, the spokesperson said in a statement. (Cassella, 8/12)

The undercover videos purporting to show officials of Planned Parenthood bargaining over the sale of fetal tissue have made the promise to defund the organization one of the most popular refrains on the Republican presidential campaign trail. It’s actually a much easier promise to make than to fulfill. But that’s not slowing down the candidates. (Rovner, 8/13)

Although recent sting videos that shed light on fetal tissue donation practices at Planned Parenthood have roiled the abortion debate in Congress, the charge that some organizations profit from the “the sale of baby body parts” is nothing new. But some of the reactions and arguments heard in Congress 15 years ago are notably different than the ones voiced today, representing the evolving science and politics underpinning the debate. (Zanona, 8/12)

An anti-abortion group has released its latest video in its campaign against Planned Parenthood, this one featuring an interview with a former StemExpress technician who claims she saw people illegally collect fetal tissue and organs without patients’ permission at a clinic. (Haberkorn, 8/12)

Abortion became legal in America 42 years ago. And since then, the voices for and against the procedure have been strong and usually certain. But there’s one group routinely missing from the debate: medical professionals who perform abortions — or decide not to. Now, some OB-GYN residents from Brown University’s medical school are lending their voices to the conversation about abortion. They’ve written essays featured in the journal “Obstetrics and Gynecology.” (Mullins, 8/12)