The de-funding of the Planned Parenthood abortion business in Nashville, Tennessee became official on Friday as the state shifted the funds to the city’s health department.
As North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas and Wisconsin became the nucleolus of states to de-fund or cut Planned Parenthood funding, Tennessee joined them as Nashville’s public health department agreed earlier this month to accept all available family planning funds and to provide the required services to targeted populations. As a result, 94 of 95 Tennessee counties now accept all available Title X funds from the state Department of Health and provide the required birth control services themselves rather than forcing taxpayers to fund the nation’s biggest abortion business.
In Nashviile, the Davidson County health department took over the $335,000 federal grant that used to go to Planned Parenthood for family planning. On Friday, the funds were officially diverted.
Jeff Teague, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, tried to put a good face on the news in an interview with the Tennessean.
“One of the things that’s been really interesting about this whole experience is that it has been a wonderful opportunity to educate,” Teague said. “In a real weird, perverse way, it’s helped people learn more about what Planned Parenthood does.”
Despite fighting the de-funding at every turn, Teague tried to make it appear Planned Parenthood didn’t want the funds.
“The board had had discussions about the wisdom of staying in (and continuing to receive the grant) and had basically decided that it would not be in our best interest to,” Teague said. “We started months and months and months ago planning on not having the funds available.”
Teague also claimed that the public exposes of Planned Parenthood, which has been caught covering up cases of sexual abuse and assisting sex traffickers in arranging abortions for young women, have led to an increase in public support.
But Brian Harris, of Tennessee Right to Life, said he is happy the abortion agency is no longer getting tax dollars in the state capital.
“Planned Parenthood is an abortion business. They derive their income from the killing of unborn children and the harming of women during an especially vulnerable time in their life,” Harris said. “It is inappropriate for tax dollars to go to … such an agency.”
Although that is a huge win for pro-life advocates, Shelby County’s Health Department has refused to end their partnership with Memphis Planned Parenthood and an official with the Shelby health department has said that Shelby County might have to “subcontract with outside health providers on a longer-term basis through an open competitive bid process.”
In Kansas, Planned Parnthood has officially lost $200,000 of the $300,000 it is slated to lose under a new law there. The legislation follows a new law in Indiana that made the state the first to yank millions from Planned Parenthood by cutting off its revenue stream from Medicaid.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has since signed a budget cutting Planned Parenthood funding and Texas Gov. Rick Perry is about to follow suit. New Hampshire cut Planned Parenthood funding by $1.8 million but must re-vote on that effort.
