County Supervisors Vote To Back Attorney General, Planned Parenthood Lawsuits

SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to authorize county counsel to support multiple lawsuits filed by Planned Parenthood and the state attorney general against the Trump administration's denial of Medicaid reimbursements to nonprofit health centers.

Attorney General Rob Bonta and Planned Parenthood are suing over the "Defund Provision," a section of the federal budget that blocks Medicaid (also known as Medi-Cal in California) reimbursements to nonprofit health centers that also provide abortion services, according to board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer's office.

Lawson-Remer, who sponsored the county measure, voted yes along with Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Monica Montgomery Steppe.

Their colleagues Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond voted no.

In an emailed statement, Anderson said his colleagues tell him that there isn't enough money to pave all of the roads in his district, so "I don't see how we can afford to have staff dabble outside of their lane."

Desmond didn't offer a formal reason for his opposition.

Before the board voted, Lawson-Remer said federal dollars don't pay for abortions and her proposal is about is making sure basic care, such as breast exams, is available.

"Our county has really been focused for the last five years on defending people's rights, when federal decisions threaten our health," she said. "This is our most direct path to stopping this attack."

Aguirre said county support for legal efforts to defend reproductive health access was important because otherwise, people who can't access basic care show up in emergency rooms and clinics.

In a statement after the vote, Lawson-Remer said over 32,000 low-income San Diegans "are among the nearly 900,000 local recipients who are prevented from using their Medicaid coverage at Planned Parenthood for basic preventative services like breast exams, cancer screenings and birth control."

"For thousands of people, this is the only way they receive health care," she added.

Bonta said he was "grateful to now have the backing of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors."

"Defunding Planned Parenthood, as President Trump and those who work for him are trying to do, means that millions of individuals will lose access to those essential medical services -- already, Planned Parenthood locations have closed altogether and others are limiting services," Bonta added.

"We must continue to fight back."

During a news conference Tuesday outside the county Administration Center, Planned Parenthood advocates spoke about why the organization was important. Victoria Lara said she would have no health care without Medicaid and Planned Parenthood.

"From the moment I walked in, from start to finish, I knew I was in good hands," said Lara, a law student and a former president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action.

— City News Service