US appeals court rules Kansas can strip Planned Parenthood of federal family planning

WICHITA, Kan. – A federal appeals court has ruled that Kansas can strip Planned Parenthood of federal family planning money.

A divided court in Denver on Tuesday overturned a judge's order that forced Kansas to keep funding Planned Parenthood's clinics in Wichita in Hays.

At issue is money distributed under a federally financed family planning program. A Kansas law requires the state to first allocate the Title X money to public health departments and hospitals, leaving no funds for the Planned Parenthood clinics.

The appeals court rejected Planned Parenthood's claims that losing the money amounted to a violation of free-speech rights for associating with abortion providers.

The clinics in question don't provide abortions. The only Planned Parenthood clinic that provides abortions in Kansas is in the Kansas City area.