Planned Parenthood patients concerned

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A new round in the court battle over money for women's health care in Texas. Following a day-long hearing Planned Parenthood failed to get the courts to let them back into a state program that provides health services to poor women.

Planned Parenthood was seeking an injunction--asking a judge to temporarily block a law that bans groups that provide abortions from getting any state money for health care. The new law went into effect the first of the year.

Without the injunction, Planned Parenthood clinics will lose a significant amount of funding. The organization is concerned thousands of women could lose access to life-saving medical care.

"It offers so many great services, testing--pregnancy and STIs--and general healthcare for women," said patient Jaclyn Moffa. Moffa is 27 years old. She works part time at a CPA firm and teaches dance to children. She depends on Planned Parenthood for health care.

"If you don't have insurance or are working a job that doesn't offer it--anything like that--there's really not a lot of places you can go to get taken care of," said Moffa

"I'm very worried about my patients," said nurse practitioner Nicole Griffis. She's been treating some of the same patients for years.

"I do breast screening, cervical cancer screening, I prescribe birth control, I do a lot of STD testing and treatment," Griffis said.

Texas's revamped Women's Health Program requires the state to fund women's health clinics, with the exception of those affiliated with abortion providers.

Supporters of the new law say it provides low-income women with access to health care without using taxpayer money in funding abortions.

The law also means no federal funding.  If Planned Parenthood is not included in the state's plan, they say some clinics could close.

"Looking for somewhere else to get the same services would be very difficult," Moffa said.

Planned Parenthood of Texas has been arguing that they provide health care to nearly 50,000 women a year--providing services that are not associated with abortions. State health officials say there are enough others providers to serve about 48,000 women eligible under the program.