Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he hopes Planned Parenthood challenges the state's decision to cut off its funding, as a legal challenge will reveal the practices the organization uses in his state.
"Either their horrific practices will be revealed or they may be found in violation of law for perjury," the Republican governor told Fox News'
"America's Newsroom" host Bill Hemmer, explaining the action was taken because Planned Parenthood has "serious legal issues."
On Monday,
Texas became the latest and biggest U.S. state to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood, saying the women's health group is no longer eligible for Medicaid payments after running afoul of the law for selling fetal tissue recovered during abortions.
The inspector general's office at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has been investigating the group in connection with an undercover sting video revealing the practice.
The violations allows the state to cut its contract with Planned Parenthood, Abbott said on Tuesday.
"We have evidence, at least the inspector general has evidence, showing that Planned Parenthood altered the abortion procedure in order to obtain fetal tissue," Abbott told Hemmer. "This violates both federal law as well as state law. Second, the inspector general showed that he had evidence that where Planned Parenthood allowed unsanitary conditions that could cause the spread of infectious diseases."
Planned Parenthood had already been found in violation of Medicaid fraud, as well, said Abbott, "for billing for items and services that were either unnecessary or never provided," and according to the inspector general, more of the same violations have been uncovered.
Hemmer told him that Planned Parenthood has called the state's decision to defund it "a national scandal" said Texas officials are using "discredited, fraudulent videos" to deny preventative healthcare services for women.
Abbot, though, said the agency has committed Medicaid fraud and "bilked the taxpayers of the United States and the state of Texas of money which they do not deserve."
Further, said Abbott, Texas has thousands of health care facilities that provide women's services but don't provide abortions.
There are other states, also considering defunding measures, but Abbott said Texas is different because one of the clinics included in the sting videos was in Texas, and the state's inspector general has uncovered the criminal charges.