A federal judge has ordered Arkansas to temporarily reinstate its Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood after the state blocked funding over concerns about secretly recorded videos released by an anti-abortion group.
U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker on Friday granted Planned Parenthood of the Heartland's request to block for 14 days the state from denying funding to the organization. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson last month announced he was terminating the contract.
The state's cancellation of the contract took effect Sunday, and Planned Parenthood says it would have affected Medicaid patients scheduled to visit its health centers starting Sept. 21.
The state says Planned Parenthood received more than $51,000 in Medicaid payments in Arkansas over the past fiscal year for family planning and gynecological services. None of the money went toward abortions.