By Dave Andrusko
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups
When last NRL News Today reported on the issue in December , the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals had placed an emergency stop on Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s decision to withhold about $275,000 in federal money from The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, a decision which had been upheld less than a week before by U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups.
Planned Parenthood had asked the Denver-based appeals court to keep the money coming as it considers Waddoups’ ruling.
In his decision, Waddoups wrote, “[T]hese are the types of decisions that should be left to elected officials and not managed by the courts.” Waddoups had previously issued a temporary order allowing the funds to continue throughout the end of the year.
The Associated Press reported today that the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah will be back in court today. It will ask the federal appeals court to reverse the judge’s decision that allowed Governor Herbert to cut off funding to the organization and extend the order keeping the federal money flowing.
“Planned Parenthood contends its employees did nothing wrong,” the AP reported, and “They argue that U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups abused his discretion when he allowed the governor’s decision to stand.”
Back in December, Jon Cox, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement, “The governor is confident that once the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has the opportunity to look closely at the legal issues in this case, like Judge [Clark] Waddoups, they will reach the same decision and agree that it is contrary to the public’s best interest to remove the governor’s discretion to make contract decisions on behalf of the state.”
According to Annie Knox of the Salt Lake Tribune, “Gov. Gary Herbert said he had blocked the money from passing through state hands because he was offended by what he called the callous, casual way Planned Parenthood officials in other states were shown talking about fetal tissue in a series of videos.”
Planned Parenthood has successfully sued several other states that had cut off funding to the nation’s largest abortion provider.
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