Planned Parenthood [advocacy website] filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] against Ohio’s health department on Wednesday over a law designed to reduce funding to the organization. Planned Parenthood claims that thousands of patients will be denied access to HIV tests, cancer screenings, health education and prevention programs without the funding. The Ohio law [JURIST report] is to take effect May 23, but Planned Parenthood is attempting to prevent the enforcement. The complaint argues that the law violates their First Amendment rights because they were denied funds for providing abortions. Opponents claim the lawsuit is frivolous, stating that Planned Parenthood is not entitled to any funds at all. This is one of the many laws recently passed in Ohio in efforts to restrict access to abortions.

Planned Parenthood has recently been fighting against many laws seeking to defund the organization. In January US President Barack Obama vetoed legislation [JURIST report] that would have defunded Planned Parenthood. In August Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] in the US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, alleging that Alabama Governor Robert Bentley’s termination of Medicaid provider agreements for the facility violates a federal law that requires Medicaid beneficiaries to have a choice in provider for family planning. Also in August the Alaska Superior Court struck down [JURIST report] a state law it says would have unfairly burdened low-income individuals by limiting Medicaid funding for abortions.