Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced Tuesday his intent to introduce a bill that would amend Title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit HHS from revoking funding for states that do not make referrals for abortion.
With my legislation, pro-life states can stand by their values and the will of the people. Read more on my bill here:https://t.co/9b1htNQazn pic.twitter.com/qIcdAKNu3h
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 27, 2023
Green’s bill comes after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) informed Tennessee in March that it would no longer provide long-standing Title X funding after the state passed an abortion ban and required healthcare providers to only share information “regarding all options that are legal in the State of Tennessee.”
“Secretary Becerra is using Title X funding as a cudgel to force states to participate in abortions or risk losing funding. This is abhorrent,” Green, who is an ER physician, stated.
Title X, according to the Congressional Research Service, “provides grants to public and nonprofit agencies for family planning services, research, and training.” As noted by Green, the funding has “supported low-income Tennessean families for decades.”
Green said that his States Choose Life Act of 2023 legislation will “protect states from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) weaponization of Title X funding against states that choose to protect the right to life.”
“My bill will protect Tennessee from being bullied by the federal government into propping up the abortion industry…As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, it’s important to remember that the fight for life is just beginning,” Green said in a statement. “Though the tyranny of Roe is over, it is now up to states to protect unborn babies. And states should be allowed to do so without suffering repercussions, financial or otherwise, from the federal government.”
“No medical professional should be forced against his or her conscience to refer patients for abortions,” Green added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Mark Green” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “U.S. Department of Health & Human Services” by Sarah Stierch. CC BY 4.0.
