Texas Used Disputed Undercover Videos to Justify Defunding Planned Parenthood

Texas slashed all Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood on Monday, attributing the move to controversial undercover videos filmed this summer by an anti-abortion group. Planned Parenthood has maintained that the footage was heavily doctored and misleading, but Texas health officials said it was proof that the non-profit organization committed "a series of serious Medicaid violations."

"The State has determined that you… are no longer capable of performing medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal and ethical manner," the Office of the Inspector General at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission declared in a letter to Planned Parenthood.

The state's Office of the Inspector General insisted that the funding cut would "not affect healthcare in this State because there are thousands of alternate providers," but advocates argued the opposite. Texas already has one of the worst reproductive healthcare systems in the country, and many low-income women rely on Planned Parenthood for services.

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At least half of adult females currently face reproductive health barriers in Texas, according to a University of Texas at Austin study, and fewer than 20 abortion clinics serve the state's nearly 27 million citizens. The state is trying to close even more clinics, a move abortion providers are contesting in the US Supreme Court.

Representative Donna Howard, vice-chair of the Texas House Women's Health Caucus, said the recent development would leave thousands of women facing new obstacles in obtaining birth control, cancer screenings, and other vital care. She called the funding cut "the latest move in the ongoing, politically motivated war being conducted against Planned Parenthood by Republican state officials."

"This action is foolhardy and disappointing, and will only result in poorer health outcomes and more unplanned pregnancies among the women of Texas," Howard wrote in an email to VICE News.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the decision, as did a number of Texas legislators who have been fighting to shut down Planned Parenthood in recent months.

"The gruesome harvesting of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood will not be tolerated in Texas and the barbaric practice must be brought to an end," Abbott said in a statement, referring to the videos. He said the funding cut was proof of the state's "unyielding commitment to both protecting life and providing women's health services."

The videos, released by Center for Medical Progress, purportedly show misconduct by staff at Planned Parenthood affiliates, including an attempt to illegally profit from the sale of tissue from aborted fetuses. Independent analysis of the videos by Fusion GPS, a Washington-based research firm, subsequently found that the clips were heavily edited and unreliable.

"A thorough review of these videos in consultation with qualified experts found that they do not present a complete or accurate record of the events they purport to depict," the company's report said, according to the New York Times.

One vocal pro-life Texas legislator, Representative Matt Rinaldi, said defunding is only the first step in dismantling Planned Parenthood in the Lone Star State.

"I'm very pleased with the decision… but not only should we cut all state funding to Planned Parenthood, we should shut down every Planned Parenthood in the state of Texas," Rinaldi said. "We should end state funding to any private company that donates money to Planned Parenthood. It should not exist in the state of Texas with any assistance."

Texas Representative Jessica Farrar questioned the validity of the undercover videos that led to the defunding.

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"In making these cuts, Texas is using heavily doctored videos as an excuse to continue its politically motivated war on Planned Parenthood," Farrar said. "Yet it is Texas women who will suffer from these cuts as they lose access to vital healthcare services through their provider of choice."

The state's order could be overruled as violation Medicaid standards. Louisiana has also tried to defund Planned Parenthood, but on Monday a federal judge ordered the state to continue paying the organization. States must allow all qualified healthcare providers to participate in Medicaid, particularly if they offer a critical service such as reproductive health, according to Sharon Levin, the director of Federal Health Policy for the National Women's Law Center.

Levin said she expects Planned Parenthood to file a lawsuit to continue serving Texas.

"Under the Medicaid program, the Freedom of Choice provision allows low-income people on Medicaid receiving family planning services to choose their provider," Levin explained. "For a service as intimate as birth control, it is critical that people be able to get a provider they trust — otherwise they often won't get services."

Planned Parenthood did not return calls and emails requesting comment, but wrote on Twitter that it has been a trusted healthcare provider for more than 80 years.

"More than ever it is apparent that efforts to block patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood through Medicaid are politically motivated," the organization said. "Planned Parenthood will continue to fight for access to healthcare and information for all our patients and women and men in the communities we serve."

Follow Meredith Hoffman on Twitter: @merhoffman