UPDATE: TN Shelby County to decide Planned Parenthood funding this week

TN State Health Commissioner Susan Cooper has granted Shelby County (where Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region is located) until Friday June 17 to respond to the Governor’s request that county health departments take over all publicly-funded family planning services. PPGMR receives upwards of $700,000 a year in taxpayer dollars. Yesterday, Davidson County (where the Nashville branch of PP is located) announced it was taking over family planning services, effectively stripping $335,000 from Planned Parenthood:

The Davidson County decision was cheered by anti-abortion activists. Senate Speaker and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said, “We are at long last moving towards the final stages of the Planned Parenthood shell game. It has always been the ambition of Republicans in the legislature to defund this organization. I’d like to praise the governor for working to completely turn off the spigot of taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood.”

There was this little gem from Planned Parenthood, too:

Last month when it appeared the defunding amendment was added to the budget, Planned Parenthood of Memphis called the move a “calculated, politically motivated maneuver” and said it was “outrageous that extremists” in the legislature would deny women access to preventative health care.

Except if the legislature is just changing the provider from Planned Parenthood to county health departments, that’s not denying anyone access to care…