Tennessee cuts HIV program with Planned Parenthood ties [View all]

Source: Associated Press

Tennessee cuts HIV program with Planned Parenthood ties

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
January 20, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Top Tennessee health officials attempted to oust Planned Parenthood from a program designed to prevent and treat HIV before eventually deciding to forgo federal funding for the program, despite warnings that doing so will have a devastating impact on marginalized communities, documents show.

The decision is the latest development in a ruby red state where abortion is already banned. Republicans leaders, however, have actively tried to cut off public ties with the organization for any other services, due to its long history of offering and defending abortion care.

According to a letter from Planned Parenthood, Tennessee’s Department of Health in November alerted the organization that it would no longer receive HIV prevention grants starting in 2023, as well as warn that the state was terminating its partnership with Planned Parenthood to provide HIV testing.

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Schoenfeld added that Planned Parenthood wanted to avoid litigation and requested a meeting later that month. The issue was eventually dropped until this week, when the Department of Health announced it was choosing to walk away from the federal HIV prevention, detection and treatment funding and instead would rely on state funding for such efforts starting June 1. The Commercial Appeal was the first to report the announcement.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-hiv-and-aids-tennessee-state-government-planned-parenthood-598ba8f96d4ce1b495d9291790f103b9