A federal judge has overturned a 1997 Wisconsin provision banning Medicaid payments for gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatments. U.S. District Judge William Conley handed down the ruling Aug. 16, after issuing an injunction against the state’s Department of Health Services last year.

The 22-year-old Medicaid amendment, challenged by four plaintiffs, excluded coverage for “drugs, including hormone therapy, associated with transsexual surgery,” deeming them “medically unnecessary,” according to Courthouse News Service. Wisconsin’s Medicaid program is jointly funded by state and federal money.

The plaintiffs—three transgender women and a transgender man—filed suit against the state arguing that gender-confirming treatment was necessary due to “gender dysphoria,” a condition in which a patient does not identify with their biological sex at birth. They alleged that the exclusion violated the Affordable Care Act, the Medicaid Act and both the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14^th Amendment.

“There is now a consensus within the medical profession that gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition, which if left untreated or inadequately treated can cause adverse symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, serious mental distress, self-harm and suicidal ideation,” Conley wrote in his ruling.

The judge determined the…

A North Carolina county Monday became the nation’s first sanctuary county “for the unborn” when its board of commissioners passed a resolution recognizing the “dignity of every human being” from conception.

The resolution by the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners made the county the first in the nation to become a sanctuary county for the unborn, although towns and cities have made similar declarations.

Yadkin County is about one hour north of Charlotte and has a population of 37,000. Its county seat is Yadkinville.

“The Yadkin County Board of Commissioners,” the resolution says, “hereby recognizes and declares the full humanity of the preborn child and declares Yadkin County to be a sanctuary for the preborn where the dignity of every human being will be defended and promoted from conception or fertilization through all stages of development.”

The resolution further says a plaque will be placed on the grounds of the county government declaring the county to be a “Sanctuary for Pre-born Children.”

It also says the county will organize a public meeting to request input from “citizens, churches, and other social organizations” to determine possible ways “to provide support for mothers and fathers of pre-born children” and “to become a county that truly welcomes and protects the gift of life from conception or fertilization through…

Planned Parenthood said Monday it will withdraw from a major federal family-planning program that’s worth an estimated $60 million for the organization, three days after an appeals court once again upheld a Trump administration rule that prevents it from referring or promoting abortion.

At issue is the Title X federal family-planning program and the Trump administration’s Protect Life Rule that clarifies what recipients can say about abortion. Title X is worth nearly $300 million and provides low-income people with cancer screenings, pregnancy tests and contraceptives.  

Planned Parenthood had hoped a federal court would intervene, but on Friday the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals once again declined to block it. It was the third time the Ninth Circuit has ruled in favor of the rule while a lawsuit against it proceeds.

The Department of Health and Human Services had given Title X recipients until Monday to decide if they would follow the rule.

Planned Parenthood on Monday called it “an unethical and dangerous gag rule” that “forced” the organization out of Title X.

“I want our patients to know: while the Trump administration may have given up on you, Planned Parenthood never will,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood. “Our doors are open today, and our doors will be open tomorrow. The Trump…

A former Planned Parenthood employee has won a huge cash payout after a court ruled that she was wrongly terminated from her job.

Mayra Rodriguez sued the leading abortion provider after claiming she was fired for repeatedly reporting the “high complication rates” of one of the clinic’s doctors.

The accusations leveled against the particular physician included the falsification of affidavits, conducting incomplete abortions and even failing to report a minor who had an adult partner.

However, far from showing appreciation for her diligent and professional conduct, Rodriguez insisted that Planned Parenthood immediately removed her from its staff.

At the end of last week, and at the conclusion of a two-week trial, a jury decided to award Rodriguez $3 million in damages, arguing that she was simply doing her job properly by reporting the concerns.

“It vindicated what she found and it ought to help our community be safer,” Rodriguez’s lawyer, Tim Casey, told the Arizona Republic.

The former worker explained how the abortion business also used her immigration status against her after the firing.

“Planned Parenthood publicly states they want to help and stand up for immigrants, that they care about these women, but it’s not true. They shamed me for my immigration status,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “But here we are, the jury heard the…