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Metro Council grant to Planned Parenthood will not support out-of-state abortion travel





Metro Council Member Freddie O'Connell proposed an amendment removing a provision allowing funds in a grant to Planned Parenthood to be used to support out-of-state travel for women seeking abortions. The change comes in response to concerns from the Metro Department of Law.speaks during a news conference to propose a new $500,000 fund to support Nashville residents who wish to travel out of the state for an abortion, and expand access to sex education and safe sex supplies. Vivian Jones / Main Street Nashville

Metro Council Member Freddie O’Connell proposed an amendment removing a provision allowing funds in a grant to Planned Parenthood to be used to support out-of-state travel for women seeking abortions. The change comes in response to concerns from the Metro Department of Law.speaks during a news conference to propose a new $500,000 fund to support Nashville residents who wish to travel out of the state for an abortion, and expand access to sex education and safe sex supplies. Vivian Jones / Main Street Nashville

Metro council members are still planning to provide Planned Parenthood a grant of $500,000, but the funds are no longer designated to support out-of-state travel for women seeking an abortion or any abortion-related counseling services.

Five council members announced the half-million dollar proposal in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, on the day Tennessee’s full abortion ban went into effect. Originally, it was designed to help equip women to plan pregnancies on their own terms – including financial support for women seeking an abortion outside of Tennessee.

Council Member Freddie O’Connell proposed an amendment removing a provision allowing funds to be used to support out-of-state travel support for women seeking abortions. The change comes in response to concerns from the Metro Department of Law about potential exposure under Title X which prohibits government funds from being used for abortion and any related services.

 

 

“We originally tried to suggest to the attorneys that perhaps that could be the obligation that was imposed on the Metro Department of Health, but not to all of Metro,” said Mike Jameson, legislative advisor to Mayor John Cooper.

But because the department does not have separate grant acceptance authority – grants are accepted by the Metro Council on behalf of the Health Department – Metro government is also barred from providing funds to support any abortion-related services.

Instead, proposed funds will now exclusively support contraception services, family planning counseling, and sex education materials.

“This is a profound issue for the city,” O’Connell said. “If we are not prepared to respond to this with the very limited toolkit that we have to do so, then I’m not sure how we’re judging our priorities.”

Funding for the $500,000 grant comes from pay plans from 14 metro departments’ budgets that were allocated in June.

“The intent was to spread the pain, if you will,” Jameson said.

The largest deductions are $90,000 from the Metro Nashville Police Department’s pay plan, and $60,000 each from the Metro Parks Department, the Nashville Public Library, Department of Health, and Nashville Department of Transportation.

Several council members said Monday that departments had contacted them concerned they would have to eliminate a position. O’Connell said he plans to have a new amendment to restructure the funding sources for the council to consider Tuesday.

“For $500,000, to have a statement once every half-century when a Constitutional right is eradicated by the Supreme Court – that fits into my definition of moral budgeting,” At-Large Council Member Bob Mendes said. “We need to put our resources where our values are.”

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