The Planned Parenthood offices in Tennessee are suing the state over another round of cuts to its grant funding, this time for HIV and Syphilis prevention. As of January 1st, Planned Parenthood receives no money from the state.
Jeff Teague is CEO of Planned Parentood of Middle and East Tennessee.
These specific grants – totaling nearly $170,000 – actually come from the federal government, but the state had directed the money to Planned Parenthood for the last decade. In December, the contract was dropped. Jeff Teague, CEO of the Nashville Planned Parenthood office, says state officials gave no reason – at least in writing.
“It has nothing to do with the services we were providing with that grant. It has everything to do with that fact that we provide abortion care.”
Last year, state lawmakers cut off funding to Planned Parenthood for family planning services. Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey said he was “proud to lead the charge” in defunding the organization. Teague calls it “politics.”
“It’s startling to me that when we’ve seen a huge increase in the past five years of the number of new cases of HIV infection in 15 to 24 year olds, that the governor, leaders in the General Assembly, the commissioner of health have decided to play politics.”
In response to the HIV and Syphilis cuts, Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit in federal court, citing violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
A state spokesperson said the department of health had not seen the lawsuit and couldn’t comment on pending litigation.
Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit comes the same week that Susan G. Komen for the Cure cut ties with the organization. However, Komen was not giving money to the local offices, according to Teague.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM