Saturday, December 16, 2017

Bevin's lawsuit against Planned Parenthood revived

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has reinstated Gov. Matt Bevin's lawsuit that claims Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky illegally provided 23 abortions at its Louisville clinic.

Steve Pitt, Bevin's general counsel, said in a statement: “The facts are clear and alarming: Between Dec. 3, 2015 and Jan. 28, 2016, Planned Parenthood’s Louisville facility performed 23 abortions without proper licensing or emergency safeguards in place.”  The Bevin administration is seeking fines of more than $500,000, the newspaper reports.

A Louisville judge had dismissed the case in July, finding that "Planned Parenthood had been following directions of state officials when it began offering abortions in December as part of its effort to obtain a state license," the Courier Journal reported then.

The unanimous Dec. 15 ruling by a three-judge Court of Appeals panel said, "While the Cabinet [for Health and Family Services] may have a difficult time proving its allegations, we believe said allegations are sufficient to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." The trial judge had said the charges were insufficient.

“As the ruling states, this decision is not a statement on the merits of the case,” Christie Gillespie, President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood unit, said in a statement. “PPINK sought the advice of the governmental agency charged with overseeing licensure and followed its guidance. We did nothing wrong, and we are confident the courts will agree. We are committed to providing high-quality health care for all at our Kentucky health centers, and we will continue to do so while this case is litigated.”

No comments:

Post a Comment