(FOX Nation) -- Texas will be able to cut off state funding to Planned Parenthood, at least for now, after a federal appeals court lifted an order that had blocked a new law banning funds to organizations linked to abortion providers from taking effect.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the state can turn off the funding spigot pending trial, though Texas intends to continue funding its broader program to provide women access to health care. The high-profile dispute has pitted the state of Texas against both Planned Parenthood and the Obama administration.
Anti-abortion advocates and Republican Texas officials hailed the court's decision Tuesday. Gov. Rick Perry called the decision "a win for Texas women, our rule of law and our state's priority to protect life."
Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said: "In this time of financial crisis, states like Texas should have the right to prioritize their health care funding, placing whole women's health care, primary care, first."
State officials sought to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood clinics as part of the Texas Women's Health Program after the state's Republican-led Legislature passed a law banning funds to organizations linked to abortion providers. No state money goes to pay for abortions. The Texas Women's Health Program is designed to provide services to women who might not otherwise qualify for Medicaid, the federal health care program for low-income people.
