Once again, conservative state lawmakers are seeking to revoke Medicaid funding from facilities linked to entities offering abortion — namely Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.
Although almost all abortions are illegal in Missouri and none were performed in the state last year, state Sen. Nick Schroer takes issue with any funding going to support an organization that performs abortions elsewhere in the country.
“Our tax dollars should not be going to those types of institutions, even if it’s a penny,” Schroer said.
His legislation, co-sponsored by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, would exclude “any abortion facility or any affiliate or associate thereof” from being an eligible MO HealthNet provider. MO HealthNet is the state program through which Medicaid is facilitated.
This is not the first time that lawmakers have tried to defund Planned Parenthood. In 2020, The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in favor of the reproductive healthcare provider after lawmakers refused to allow it to receive Medicaid reimbursement payments in the state budget.