US abortion provider Planned Parenthood is suing five states following moves to cut some of its funding.
On Monday Texas became the latest state to be targeted by the organisation, as Planned Parenthood launched legal action against officials in federal court.
Planned Parenthood has faced a backlash after videos were released appearing to reveal senior employees seeking to profit from body parts of aborted babies.
Funding
Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana have moved to withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood after the release of the footage by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP).
Officials hope to remove the abortion provider’s eligibility for a Government-funded health insurance programme called Medicaid.
In the lawsuit against Texas the abortion group claims that it is being singled out for “unfavourable treatment without adequate justification”.
Protecting the unborn
Texas officials argue that cutting off Medicaid funding is intended to protect unborn children.
In a statement on Monday, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said: “Simply stated, Planned Parenthood cannot be trusted.”
Planned Parenthood is under investigation by Congress over the content of the CMP’s videos, which reportedly provide evidence of illegal abortion practices and profits being made from baby parts.
Wrongdoing
In one of the videos a senior doctor is shown discussing the price of babies’ vital organs over lunch.
Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, has continued to deny any wrongdoing by the organisation, labelling the CMP as “extremists”, and accusing the group of manipulating their footage.
CMP assert that a full version of each video they make is available online.
