Staff Reports
The Supreme Court recently decided not to grant Oklahoma’s request to stop the federal government from withholding a hefty sum of taxpayer dollars from its health department because of the state’s newly enacted abortion ban. The Biden administration’s Health and Human Services Department has managed to find yet another way to wield its power by demanding that states like Oklahoma provide abortion counseling and referrals in order to receive essential federal funding.
This ruling comes on the heels of a 2021 rule that, as the state pointed out, is an overreach by federal authorities to dictate what states can or cannot do regarding healthcare services. Oklahoma argued that the feds are stretching Title X’s language way beyond its intended purpose, essentially holding funding hostage to push their progressive agenda on states that prefer to stand against the tide of liberalism.
Supreme Court won't stop feds from withholding money to Oklahoma over abortion law — for now https://t.co/cxGhmpEBec
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 4, 2024
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled against Oklahoma in this matter, leading the state to appeal to the highest court in the land. Surprisingly, the justices decided not to intervene, despite the fact that Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch had indicated they believed Oklahoma deserved a bit of relief from the federal iron grip. Unfortunately, the other justices opted for the status quo, leaving Oklahoma to rue the lost $4.5 million the Biden administration has withheld as leverage over its conservative policies.
In the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Oklahoma and a host of other red states jumped into action, swiftly moving to ban most abortion procedures while also ensuring any assistance in obtaining one became illegal. Clearly, the decision to revert the authority back to states was a bitter pill to swallow for the left, and they are now retaliating in this roundabout way—by threatening to choke off vital funding to states that stand up for life.
Oklahoma’s fight against federal funding coercion is not in isolation; states like Tennessee and Ohio are also in the fray, filing lawsuits over the withholding of vital funds. However, those cases linger in lower courts, caught in the quagmire of judicial bureaucracy. As it currently stands, the case continues to highlight the tug-of-war between conservative states looking to protect life and the federal government seemingly determined to undermine those efforts at every turn. It’s just another chapter in the ongoing saga of state versus federal power, with the lives of the unborn caught precariously in the balance.
