COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's Republican attorney general says a court ruling blocking a state law that diverts public money from Planned Parenthood will be appealed to the full federal appeals court in Cincinnati.
Planned Parenthood says the law violates the organization's constitutional rights by denying it public funds "in retaliation for" providing abortions. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Planned Parenthood last week.
Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Monday that he'll appeal to the full court. DeWine says the state isn't required "to use its funding discretion under these programs to support abortion providers."
The law targeted the more than $1.4 million Planned Parenthood gets through Ohio's health department. Those mostly federal dollars support initiatives that provide HIV tests, cancer screenings and other prevention services.
