LIBERADIO(!)

The Health and Human Resources Committee is meeting as I write this and will soon hear HB1756 – a bill that would establish “a new methodology for disposition of family planning funds that disburses funds to public women’s health services programs before other providers are funded.” That’s a fancy-pants way of saying that they want to strip funding from one of the best public reproductive health organizations that actually, you know, works to reduce unplanned pregnancies – Planned Parenthood.

Besides doing absolutely nothing for the living, breathing citizens of Tennessee during the first session of the General Assembly they’ve controlled in roughly 140 years (10% unemployment rate? Hello?), Republicans are now lying about the intent of their true legislative agenda.

One can assume, based on the opportunistic and self-congratulatory display during last night’s passage of SJR127, that Rep. Joey Hensley (R-Howenwald) and the rest of the sponsors of HB1756 want to reduce the number of abortions in the state of Tennessee. Yet, this morning we see them attacking one organization that does just that.

For nearly 40 years, Planned Parenthood in Tennessee has received Title X family planning dollars and have used the money to provide reproductive and sexual health care – including contraception to, you know, prevent unplanned pregnancies – to over 11,500 men and women in Tennessee who could otherwise not afford it.

Since Hensley et. al. must know that Title X funds cannot be used to end pregnancies, one has to wonder, what the hell are they doing? And what actual benefit is this waste of time legislation providing to out of work Tennesseans, broken down schools, and malnourished kids?