Indiana’s Planned Parenthood stopped tending for all Medicaid patients due to an Indiana law that has cut their funding. Betty Cockrum, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN), said that their over 9,300 Medicaid patients will be cut off from their clinic.

PPIN is the largest reproductive health care provider in Indiana and they perform abortions. When the Indiana law against abortion was passed, the Federal money that was used to fund Medicaid patients was cut off. PPIN insists that even before the law was in place, Medicaid patients cannot use their government insurance for abortion. The Medicaid funding to PPIN also covers many other reproductive health services like cancer screening and contraception.

Medicaid funds to PPIN already stopped last May 11 after the law was submitted and PPIN was just running on donations to pay for their Medicaid patients. Now, the donations have all been used up and Medicaid patients will not be seen unless they pay for it.

Also, according to a statement from PPIN, two if their disease intervention specialist will have to be laid off and many of their employees will not be paid on Wednesday.

PPIN went to court a month ago to stop Indiana from cutting their Medicaid funds. U.S District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said that a decision will be made regarding the issue on the 1^st of July. Until then, many Medicaid patients will have to be turned down by PPIN.

PPIN already announced that if the judge does not favor them by July 1^st, they will be left with no choice but to close down clinics and lay off many of their workers.

A judge in Utah ordered a convincted sex offender, facing nearly two dozen of charges against rape, child sexual assault and sodomy to be released from the state hospital because of his mental incompetency to go through trial.

Fourth district Judge James Taylor said he has no legal grounds for holding Lorrie Hyrum Johnson, 38, at a hearing on Thursday. He said the constitution prohibits him from holding a person who cannot defend themselves.

However, the mother of the the alleged victim said Johnson is only faking his mental illness to avoid trial.

Johnson has been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Doctors who assessed Johnson’s condition discovered that his mental competence could not be restored and said that he does not pose any danger to the society. They also said he does not qualify involuntary institutional commitment.

The prosecutors wanted the alleged sex offender to stay at the Utah State Hospital so he could defend himself from the complaints filed against him. However, they did not object the ruling of the judge.

21 sex assault charges were charged to him in 2007. Taylor deemed Johnson incompetent to stand trial on 2008. Under the law of Utah, the defendant fits that decision if he has or is undergoing mental illness.

A lot of professional people reacted against the verdict that he be set free. However, Taylor did not dismiss Johnson’s case. He ordered him to see new psychiatric evaluators in October. A hearing will be resumed on Nov. 17 to check with the recent psychiatric findings.

In Washington, a 7-time Cy Young Award winner named Roger Clemens was indicted for allegedly lying to Congress that he is using steroids.

Clemens is now faced with obstruction of Congress, having false statements and perjury.

With his former trainer, Brian Mcnamee, they both testified under oath last 2008 hearing. They contradicted each other about whether Clemens was using the banned substances.

Mcnamee confessed to federal agents that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times from 1998 to 2001.

Clemens disagrees with the statements and said that Mcnamee was just lying.

Rusty Hardin, Clemens’ attorney, said over the telephone that he had just learned of the indictment. He would have to wait whether to comment or not.

The said case was held by the U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, the one who presided over the perjury and obstruction trial of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff. Fixed schedule for Clemens’ appearance on court is still in question.

Clemens said strongly, “I’ve been accused of something I’m not guilty of…I have never taken steroids or HGH.” This was his words in a defiant appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2008.