Planned Parenthood Taking Florida to Court

After the state of Florida put two Planned Parenthood clinics on notice for allegedly performing second trimester abortions without proper licensing, the organization is firing back in court.

Sarasota-based Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida filed a request for an emergency temporary injunction against the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration on Monday. The injunction, filed in the 2nd Judicial Circuit in Leon County, asks the judge to declare the state’s definition of the first trimester of pregnancy invalid. The organization wants the emergency ruling to enable its clinicians to continue performing abortions at 12 and 13 weeks.

Earlier this month, Gov. Rick Scott ordered inspections at all 16 Planned Parenthood clinics in the state. The AHCA determined that two clinics were performing what it defined as second term abortions without proper licensing while a third allegedly failed to keep proper records.

See Also:

• Planned Parenthood: Gov. Rick Scott Changed Abortion Rules

The St. Petersburg clinic, 8950 Martin Luther King St., is accused of performing 25 second trimester abortions between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, according to the state’s inspection reports. Other clinics found to be conducting second trimester abortions are located in Fort Myers and Naples.

Planned Parenthood defines the first trimester as running up to 13 weeks 6 days following a woman’s last menstrual period, while the state now says it ends at 12 weeks. The state’s determination, Planned Parenthood asserts, is a change of its own rules.

“Nearly a decade ago, state officials made it clear that Planned Parenthood is operating fully within the law, and nothing has changed,” Barbara Zdravecky, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, said in a media release about the legal action. “The state’s actions are patently disingenuous and constitute a wholly unwarranted political attack.”

Scott ordered the inspections amid a backdrop of national controversy surrounding allegations that some Planned Parenthood clinics are illegally selling fetal body parts. An anti-abortion group has released a series of videos that allegedly show improper handling of tissue and aborted fetuses.

It is unclear how soon a judge may take up the emergency request.

Officials from the AHCA were not available for comment.

The full complaint can be read here.

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