Governor Defies U.S. on Abortion Funds
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
In defiance of an order from a federal judge, Gov. Mike Huckabee refused to allow Medicaid to pay for the abortion of a 15-year-old girl whose stepfather has been charged with incest. While federal law requires Medicaid to fund abortions for poor women in cases of rape or incest, Huckabee said through a spokesman that his first obligation is to the Arkansas Constitution, which forbids public funds to be used for abortion except when the mother’s life is in danger.
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