The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday it has terminated California's federal grant for a program to provide sexual health education to adolescents, citing the state's refusal to remove "radical gender ideology" from its curricula.
The Personal Responsibility Education Program educates young people on abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, with particular focus on children who are homeless or living in foster care or in areas with high teen birth rates.
"Despite clear direction, California responded to Administration for Children and Families, stating they will not be making the required modifications, leading ACF to take decisive action to terminate their PREP grant," HHS said in a statement.
The California Department of Public Health did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Planned Parenthood under fire
The cancellation of the grant followed the federal blocking of the enforcement of a provision in US President Donald Trump's recently enacted tax and spending bill that would deprive Planned Parenthood and its members of Medicaid funding, saying it is likely unconstitutional.
Many of Planned Parenthood's health centers have continuously come under fire from the Trump administration for providing accessible abortions to those in need.
Planned Parenthood has said the law would have "catastrophic" consequences for its nearly 600 health centers, putting nearly 200 of them in 24 states at risk of closure.
"We will keep fighting this cruel law so that everyone can get birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and other critical health care, no matter their insurance," Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's president, said in a statement.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.