Before HIV grant cut, Tenn. tried to oust Planned Parenthood

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Documents show that top Tennessee health officials attempted to oust Planned Parenthood from a program designed to prevent and treat HIV before deciding to forgo federal funding for it. 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. It also warned that the state was terminating its partnership with Planned Parenthood to provide HIV testing. The department’s move has shocked many of the participating organizations tasked with providing vital HIV services across the state. Planned Parenthood declared that Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s administration was choosing the “nuclear option” to avoid having to work with the organization.