Well, that was quick. I predicted, well, half an hour ago that someone in the Arkansas legislature would start clamoring to cut off Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood in Arkansas. And just now, Rep. Nate Bell announced via social media that he has sent a letter to Gov. Asa Hutchinson requesting that he do just that.
State officials in Alabama and Louisiana have attempted this maneuver and been told by the federal Department of Health and Human Services that it violates federal law.
Bell was a Republican until recently, but the iconoclast left the party and is now an independent. It will be interesting to see whether any GOP legislatures try to put pressure on the governor on this issue. Might be worth monitoring Sen. Jason Rapert‘s twitter feed tonight.
For more on this issue, see this post.
Here is Bell’s letter: