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.

An anticipated showdown over Indiana’s new law that cuts off funds for the Planned Parenthood organization may check just how far Republican states are willing to go in pushing their anti-abortion agendas. The stakes are high and the costs are even higher.

Indiana is the first state to cut off all funds to Planned Parenthood this year. This is in line with the Republican’s goal of weakening organizations that promote and provide abortion. Many other conservative states have already thought of doing the exact same thing but backed down due to the fear of losing federal money for all their Medicaid programs.

The eagerness of Indiana to stand up to federal government and risk billions of financial penalties could take this issue to uncharted political and legal territory. Republican leaders from other states are closely watching the looming confrontation as they device their own plans on abortion.

Christopher Arterton, a George Washington University professor, said that this is an example of an instance wherein a state is trying to go against national policy and in doing so; they are most likely to forego federal funding.

Is Indiana really willing to risk as much as $4.3 billion in Medicaid funds to stand-up for their right-to-life movement? Many Republicans believe that it is high time that they risk penalties to defend their principles.

On the other hand, many are questioning if the federal government – the Obama administration in particular – is willing to allow low-income families depending on Medicaid to suffer just to punish an insolent state?