The editorial board of the Austin American Statesman has called the decision by Texas “lawmakers and state officials” to investigate Planned Parenthood for Medicaid fraud part of a “witch hunt” that won’t stop until the health care provider “is completely dismantled in Texas.”
An October 28 editorial by the Austin American Statesman discussed the state’s plan to stop reimbursing Planned Parenthood with state Medicaid funds for treating low-income patients and its issuing of subpoenas to three clinics for detailed patient records as part of an investigation into alleged Medicaid fraud. The editorial board correctly pointed out that the state “has not yet produced any evidence to support its allegation that laws or policies were broken aside from the heavily edited videos taped in secret and released by an anti-abortion group” — videos which have been thoroughly debunked by independent experts but are still being characterized as factual by right-wing media. The editorial added that “the timing of the investigation” suggests that the state is attempting to “validate its decision with a retroactive investigation.” And it warned that “the apparent willingness of Texas leaders to put politics before public health bodes ill for them and for the state.