<p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration is punishing Oklahoma for refusing to promote abortion, Oklahoma Senator James Lankford argued in an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court first obtained by The Daily Wire.</p>
<p>The statement of interest, which is signed by 19 members of Congress — including Senators Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Steve Daines of Montana, and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi — argues that the Biden administration suspended the $4.5 million Title X Family Planning grant formerly awarded to Oklahoma&#8217;s Department of Health as a way to punish the state for refusing to promote abortion.</p>
<p>In Oklahoma, abortions of unborn babies <a href="https://states.guttmacher.org/policies/oklahoma/abortion-policies">are only allowed</a> if the health of the mother is in danger.</p>
<p>The Department of Health and Human Services had awarded the $4.5 million to the Oklahoma State Department of Health to spend on &#8220;family planning services&#8221; — then rescinded the sum effective May 24, 2023, after finding that Oklahoma would not spend the money on abortion. In September, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-title-x-funding-oklahoma/">rejected Oklahoma&#8217;s request</a> that the High Court restore the federal family planning grant that the Biden administration had removed.</p>
<p>Lankford filed the brief on Monday, in reference to <em>Oklahoma</em> v. <em>Department of Health and Human Services</em>. It argues that &#8220;the right of conscience is fundamental to our American freedoms&#8221; and that this freedom should be guaranteed by &#8220;protecting all health care providers from being forced to perform, refer, or pay for elective abortions.&#8221;</p>
<p>“President Biden is obsessed with elective abortion on demand,&#8221; Lankford told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Oklahomans should not have to miss out on funding for critical health services for women, AIDS testing, and cancer screenings because of the Administration’s extreme abortion agenda. I am proud to lead my colleagues on this brief that puts actual health care ahead of politics.&#8221;</p>
<p>The lawmakers describe themselves, in the statement of interest, as &#8220;pro-life elected representatives&#8221; who are committed to &#8220;protecting mothers, unborn children, and families from the harms of the abortion industry.&#8221;</p>
<p>These lawmakers have voted annually to adopt the Weldon Amendment, they wrote, which protects health care institutions from discrimination against those institutions&#8217; right to &#8220;conscientiously object against ending unborn human life.&#8221;</p>
<p>Lankford has pushed back against the removal of the millions of dollars stripped from Oklahoma. He introduced a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/2539">bill</a> in July 2023 that <a href="https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-leads-fight-to-protect-oklahomas-health-care-funding/">would have clarified</a> that the Department of Health and Human Services can&#8217;t discriminate against Title X grantees for their pro-life stances. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.</p>
<p>And in June 2023, Lankford <a href="https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-leads-delegation-letter-to-hhs-challenging-withdrawal-of-health-care-grants-because-of-oklahomas-strong-pro-life-laws/">led Oklahoma congressional delegation</a> in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, an outspoken pro-abortion Biden administration official. The letter argued that “HHS has chosen to prioritize abortion instead of prioritizing actual health care, by suspending Title X funding awarded to OSDH because of its obligation to abide by federal law and the state laws of Oklahoma.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It is absurd that HHS is suspending funds previously granted to OSDH for its refusal to refer for a procedure that the underlying federal statute explicitly forbids,&#8221; Lankford, and a number of his colleagues, wrote in the letter at the time.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/24-437-Brief-of-Amici-Curiae-19-Members-of-Congress4.pdf">Click here to read the full amicus brief.</a></strong></p>

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Biden Admin Punishing Oklahoma For Refusing To Promote Abortion, Senators Tell Supreme Court

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Biden Admin Punishing Oklahoma For Refusing To Promote Abortion, Senators Tell Supreme Court