OKLAHOMA CITY (January 30, 2024)—Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small today praised Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond for fighting the Biden administration’s efforts to force Oklahomans to fund abortion referrals.

“The number one job of an attorney general is to hold government accountable,” Small said. “The greatest work being done today by attorneys general across the country is employing the powers of federalism and suing the out-of-control activity of the federal government.

“The Biden administration’s efforts to force Oklahomans to fund abortions with taxpayer dollars, at least indirectly, represent ideological extremism at its worst and merit the strong legal response brought by Attorney General Drummond,” Small continued.

Drummond recently filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma asking for a preliminary injunction against the Biden Administration for denying millions of dollars in federal funding to the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) to punish the state for being pro-life.

The motion came two months after Drummond sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after the agency suspended a family planning grant that OSDH has received for more than four decades. The administration took the Title X grant money from Oklahoma and Tennessee and instead gave it to pro-abortion groups such as Planned Parenthood.

Oklahoma’s lawsuit notes that federal law stipulates that Title X funds cannot be “used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning” and that “Title X in no way requires abortion referrals for a State’s continued participation.”

Gov. Kevin Stitt has also voiced his support for Drummond’s motion.

The Title X funds have paid for a range of services in Oklahoma including cancer screening, breast exams, depression screening, and pregnancy prevention.

“Put simply, the Biden administration has prioritized abortion over cancer screenings,” Small said. “That’s inexcusable and should draw a strong rebuke from the judicial system.”