OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) led his colleagues in filing an amicus curiae brief to the US Supreme Court in Oklahoma v. Department of Health and Human Services. Lankford filed this brief following the Biden Administration’s decision to withhold health care funding from Oklahoma unless the state refers women for abortions. Lankford was joined on this brief by Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) along with the entire Oklahoma Congressional delegation.
“President Biden is obsessed with abortion on demand. Oklahomans should not have to miss out on funding for critical health services for women, including 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 abortion,” said Lankford.
“The Biden-Harris administration has spent four years pushing its radical, pro-abortion agenda at every opportunity with alarming disregard for the conscience rights of health care providers,” said Dr. Cassidy. “As incoming HELP Committee Chair, I’m glad to support this amicus brief to restore Oklahoma’s Title X funding and defend the rights of health care providers nationwide.”
“The Biden administration cares more about pushing a radically extreme abortion agenda than they do about actually protecting women’s health. I’m proud to support this legislation which will make sure women have access to the medical care they need while also protecting government and health care employees from being forced to provide abortion referrals,” said Daines.
“The Biden administration’s decision to withhold crucial healthcare funding unless Oklahoma capitulates to its extreme abortion agenda is not just wrong, it sets a dangerous and coercive precedent. Access to essential health care should not be held hostage to advance a political agenda,” said Hyde-Smith. “I’m proud to join Senator Lankford in this amicus brief to defend Oklahoma’s right to protect life and prevent the weaponization of federal funds.”
The amicus brief argues:
· The Weldon amendment robustly protects the conscientious objections of health care institutions, such as the Oklahoma Department of Health.
· The Weldon Amendment protects all health care objectors regardless of the reason for the objection.
· Caselaw views conscientious objections from the perspective of the objector.
As the Senate’s most pro-life member, Lankford has been a leading voice for the protection of life. Lankford wrote a letter to HHS with the Oklahoma delegation to call on the agency to reverse the suspension without delay and introduced a bicameral bill to clarify that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot discriminate against Title X grantees, including states, for their stance on protecting life.