Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit’s decision to allow the Biden Administration to continue restricting Title X funds to Oklahoma because the state does not provide abortion referral information. Title X funds are family planning related grants which help close a gap in Oklahoma healthcare services for cancer screening, breast exams, depression screening, and pregnancy prevention.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade which gave states the right to regulate abortions. Oklahoma has banned the practice and does not refer people to abortion resources. That’s why the Biden Administration has suspended the funding because it requires those referrals.
The Tenth Circuit sided with the Biden Administration over Oklahoma.
Drummond is asking for a review for two reasons. He says the Tenth Circuit did not comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedents and split with other federal Appellate Courts by claiming regulations provide clarity lacking in a Spending Clause. Drummond also believes the decision ignores the Weldon Amendment which prohibits the federal government from discriminating against a state health department that declines to provide abortion referrals.
The AG contends that Oklahomans are being hurt by the suspension of funds.
“Oklahomans have depended upon these services for decades,” Drummond said. “Just because Oklahoma’s state policies clash with the liberal Biden-Harris agenda does not mean our people should be denied healthcare, particularly when federal law makes it clear that Title X cannot be used for abortion.”
