AssetID: 53160661
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Tennessee Suing Government for Withholding Federal Funding Over Abortion Law
Caption: Tennessee Suing Government for Withholding Federal Funding Over Abortion Law. 'The Independent' reports that Tennessee's attorney general has filed a complaint accusing the federal government of wrongly withholding millions in family planning funds. Earlier this week, AG Jonathan Skrmetti filed a complaint in Knoxville's U.S. District Court looking to overturn the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ruling. "We are suing to stop the federal government from playing politics with the health of Tennessee women." "Our lawsuit is necessary to ensure that Tennessee can continue its 50-year track record of successfully providing these public health services to its neediest populations.", Jonathan Skrmetti, Tennessee Attorney General, via 'The Independent'. 'The Independent' reports that Tennessee was disqualified from the federal family planning program known as Title X. The state has been a part of the program since it first launched back in 1970. Under the latest rules, family planning clinics cannot use federal funds to pay for abortions but must provide referrals at the patient's request. However, this would violate state restrictions prohibiting clinics from providing information on termination procedures that are not legal in Tennessee. The Tennessee AG's lawsuit alleges that HHS never provided guidelines for how the rule would apply to states with abortion restrictions. 'The Independent' reports that the state has called for rejecting federal funds rather than complying with hot- button issues that include LGBTQ+ rights and abortion. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Tennessee,suing,Government,withholding,Federal,Funding,abortion law,attorney general,United States,America,women's rights,bodies,pregnancy,unwanted pregnancies,health,risk,abortion restrictions
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