{"id":2087944,"date":"2023-11-02T12:24:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T16:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hhs-sued-by-tennessee-ag-for-blocking-family-planning-funding-over-states-abortion-laws\/"},"modified":"2023-11-02T12:30:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T16:30:10","slug":"hhs-sued-by-tennessee-ag-for-blocking-family-planning-funding-over-states-abortion-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hhs-sued-by-tennessee-ag-for-blocking-family-planning-funding-over-states-abortion-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee AG sues HHS over family planning funding block."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhhs-sued-by-tennessee-ag-for-blocking-family-planning-funding-over-states-abortion-laws%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2087944&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Tennessee Attorney General \u200bChallenges Termination of Title X Funding \u200bin Lawsuit Against HHS<\/h2>\n<p>Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has \u2064taken legal\u200b action against the Department of Health and \u200bHuman Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Xavier\u200b Becerra, filing a \u2062formal complaint to contest the termination of the state&#8217;s Title\u2062 X funding. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of\u2063 Tennessee, accuses the federal government of attempting to\u2063 force states into implementing pro-abortion policies that go against legal and constitutional limits.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This case involves the\u200d federal government\u2019s latest effort\u2063 to coerce States into\u200c carrying out pro-abortion policy in violation of statutory, constitutional, and\u200b administrative-law limits,&#8221; the complaint reads.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The dispute arises from\u2063 Tennessee&#8217;s refusal to comply with federal regulations that require abortion referrals, a decision based on\u200b the state&#8217;s current \u200cban on the procedure.<\/p>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3>Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Tennessee \u200bCity&#8217;s Ban on Drag\u2062 Shows<\/h3>\n<p>10\/24\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Schumer Advances Votes on 3 More \u2063Military \u200bNominees as\u200d Pentagon Abortion Policy Standoff Slows Senate<\/h3>\n<p>11\/1\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In\u200d a letter dated March 20, \u2064the \u2064HHS Title \u200cX program \u200ddirector informed state health officials that funding for the Tennessee Department of Health would not be continued for\u200b Fiscal Year 2023 due to non-compliance with Title X\u2063 regulations. The \u2063letter stated that Tennessee was\u2063 unable to fulfill the terms and conditions of the award,\u2064 leading to the \u2062decision not to provide continuation \u2064funding.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, initiated on\u2062 Oct. 24, aims to overturn HHS&#8217;s decision, alleging that \u200cit violates federal law and constitutional rights and\u2062 reflects arbitrary \u2062decision-making by the department.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Tennessee\u200b Attorney \u200dGeneral \u200dJonathan Skrmetti.\u2062 (Courtesy of Jonathan Skrmetti)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We are suing to stop the federal government\u200d from playing politics with the health of Tennessee women,&#8221; stated Mr. Skrmetti. He emphasized that in 2022, HHS\u2064 praised Tennessee&#8217;s Department of Health for its ability to \u2064administer Title X funds effectively\u200c and\u200d without\u200b interruption.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This year, the federal government illegally diverted those funds to\u200b Planned\u200b Parenthood,&#8221; Mr. Skrmetti continued. \u200b&#8221;Our lawsuit \u200bis necessary to ensure that Tennessee can continue its 50-year \u200dtrack record of successfully providing \u200bthese public health services \u2062to\u2062 its neediest populations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Factual Matters<\/h2>\n<p>Title X is a federal program\u2064 that provides funding for family planning\u2062 and related health\u2063 services. Tennessee has been a longstanding participant in this program,\u2064 receiving approximately $7 \u200dmillion annually to support\u200b vital public health initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Tennessee submitted its\u200c policy\u2062 for\u200c a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/keeping-the-expanded-child-tax-credit-because-covid-would-be-absurd\/\" title=\"Keeping The Expanded Child Tax Credit \u2018Because Covid\u2019 Would Be Absurd\">positive pregnancy test<\/a> as proof of compliance, which includes offering information and counseling on all legal options in the state. However, HHS objected to the inclusion of the \u200bphrase &#8220;legal in the state of\u200d Tennessee,&#8221; deeming \u2064it unacceptable as Title X recipients must adhere to federal regulations regarding nondirective options \u200ccounseling\u200c and referrals.<\/p>\n<h2>Tennessee&#8217;s View<\/h2>\n<p>The state argues in the\u2064 lawsuit that HHS \u2064guidance \u200brepresents the federal government&#8217;s\u200c attempt \u200cto force states \u2062into implementing pro-abortion policies that\u2063 violate legal and\u200b constitutional limits.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Skrmetti asserts that a\u2064 state&#8217;s decision to permit or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hhs-sued-by-tennessee-ag-for-blocking-family-planning-funding-over-states-abortion-laws\/\" title=\"Tennessee AG sues HHS over family planning funding block.\">restrict abortion carries significant moral\u2062 implications<\/a>, citing the Supreme Court&#8217;s 2022 ruling \u200dthat overturned Roe v.\u200b Wade.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;In Tennessee, voters have opted to vindicate an\u200d interest in valuing all life by restricting elective abortions and promoting \u2062policies \u200cthat will help\u200d women \u2063carry pregnancies to\u2063 term,&#8221; the suit reads. &#8220;Out of respect for the deeply held opposition \u200dto abortion shared by Tennessee\u2063 and countless others, Congress\u200d has\u200c long barred federal funds from aiding abortions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Mr. Skrmetti further argues that Title X \u200dfunding is primarily intended for counseling and family planning \u200cservices for the less fortunate, with\u2064 strict restrictions\u2064 on funds being used for \u2063abortion \u2062as a method of family planning.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Since\u200d the mid-1990s,\u2062 all\u2064 Title X\u2064 appropriations bills have expressly \u2062banned funding for elective abortions,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;And each has further\u2062 required \u200cthat &#8216;all pregnancy counseling&#8217; conducted under Title X &#8216;shall be \u200cnondirective&#8217;\u2014thus prohibiting\u200c Title X recipients from encouraging women to seek abortions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Skrmetti points out the inconsistent policies of\u2063 different presidential administrations regarding abortion referrals, with some prohibiting referrals \u200bin \u20632019 and others issuing the opposite policy in \u200c2021.<\/p>\n<h2>Tennessee\u2019s Claims<\/h2>\n<p>The lawsuit&#8217;s first claim argues that HHS acted\u2062 arbitrarily and capriciously \u2062by abruptly terminating Tennessee&#8217;s\u200b Title X funding without\u2064 providing a reasonable explanation. The\u2064 complaint asserts that HHS reversed its \u200dprevious conclusion without proper justification, leaving\u200b the state in\u2064 the dark about the decision&#8217;s\u200b rationale.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also alleges that HHS&#8217;s interpretation of Title X \u2062regulations, \u200cparticularly regarding\u200c counseling and referrals for abortion options, is\u2062 inconsistent with existing\u200b regulations. Furthermore, HHS is accused of failing to\u2062 follow proper\u200c rulemaking procedures, including notice-and-comment, when implementing this interpretation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Xavier Becerra, secretary of Health and Human\u2063 Services (HHS), speaks during a\u200d press conference at the HHS headquarters in Washington on June 28, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;HHS unlawfully \u200bunveiled\u200b its \u200cnew interpretation only\u200b as\u200b part of HHS\u2019s decision\u2062 to terminate Tennessee\u2019s \u200bTitle X funding,&#8221; the suit states.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also \u200bargues that HHS&#8217;s\u200d actions violate several aspects of the U.S. Constitution. It claims that the termination of Tennessee&#8217;s funding goes against the spending clause by \u2062imposing conditions unrelated to the program&#8217;s intended purposes.\u2064 Additionally, the state contends\u200d that\u2064 HHS&#8217;s actions compel abortion-related \u200cspeech, infringing upon First Amendment\u2062 and 10th Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/which-states-have-abortion-related-ballot-measures-following-ohio-issue-1-vote\/\" title=\"Which states have abortion-related ballot measures after Ohio Issue 1 vote?\">state\u2063 attorney general&#8217;<\/a>s office highlights the arbitrary nature of HHS&#8217;s \u200cdecision \u200bto \u2063terminate Title X funding for Tennessee. The \u200dcomplaint raises concerns about HHS&#8217;s\u2064 inconsistency in relation to its prior\u2062 conclusions that the state was in compliance with \u2062program requirements. It also questions HHS&#8217;s failure \u2062to consider the \u200cfeasibility of referrals and the impact of state-level abortion-related restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>HHS\u2062 has not yet responded to the\u200c complaint in federal court, and the agency has\u200d declined to comment on the pending litigation.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200cHow does Tennessee argue that HHS&#8217;s objection to the\u2062 inclusion of the phrase &#8220;legal in the state of Tennessee&#8221; \u200binterferes with state law and the state&#8217;s right to regulate abortion?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Engineered\u2064 its position on \u200babortion \u2062referrals \u200cand used it as a pretext to\u2064 withhold \u200dfunding from Tennessee,\u200c despite acknowledging the state&#8217;s effective administration\u2063 of\u200c Title X funds in the past.<\/p>\n<p>The second\u2063 claim \u200casserts that HHS&#8217;s actions violate the Constitution&#8217;s \u2063Spending Clause, as Tennessee \u2064complied with the terms and conditions of the Title X award by submitting its policy for\u2064 positive pregnancy test as proof of compliance. The state argues that HHS&#8217;s objection to the inclusion of the\u200c phrase\u2062 &#8220;legal in the state of Tennessee&#8221; is an unwarranted interference with state law and an infringement on the state&#8217;s right to regulate\u2062 abortion.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also alleges\u200b that HHS&#8217;s \u200dguidance \u200bcontradicts federal regulations, which require nondirective counseling and referrals. Tennessee argues that\u2064 the inclusion of the phrase &#8220;legal in \u200dthe state of Tennessee&#8221; does not violate these regulations, as it simply informs patients of the legal options \u200davailable to them within \u2064the state.<\/p>\n<p>The state seeks injunctive relief, \u200basking\u200d the court to prevent HHS from terminating Tennessee&#8217;s Title X funding and\u2064 to declare HHS&#8217;s actions unlawful. Additionally, the state seeks a declaration that Tennessee&#8217;s policy for positive pregnancy test compliance is valid and complies with federal regulations.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit highlights \u200cthe\u2062 ongoing contentious debate over abortion rights in \u2063the United States. \u200bIt underscores the tension between federal and state powers, with \u2062Tennessee \u2063asserting its right\u2063 to implement\u200d policies that reflect the values and preferences of its citizens. The \u2063outcome\u2062 of \u2063this\u2062 case could have far-reaching implications for \u200bthe implementation of\u2062 Title \u2062X funding and the balance of power between the federal government and the states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti has lodged a complaint against HHS and Secretary Xavier Becerra, contesting the termination of Title X funding. The case highlights the government&#8217;s attempt to force states into implementing pro-abortion policies, breaching legal and constitutional boundaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1627,"featured_media":2087945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2087944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2087944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2087945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2087944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2087944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2087944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}