Abortion and Planned Parenthood

Does the government fund abortions?
Federal funds (such as Medicaid) cannot be used to pay for abortion services in Tennessee. The Hyde Amendment, passed by Congress in 1976, bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions with exceptions for when the life of the pregnant person is in danger or when the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest. 
 
The Hyde Amendment makes it harder for people enrolled in Medicaid to access the abortion care they need. Restrictions on abortion coverage such as Hyde have a disproportionate impact on low-income people, especially women of color, immigrant women, and young women. However you feel about abortion, politicians should not be able to deny a pregnant person health care coverage no matter their background, income, or circumstances. 
 
Does Planned Parenthood profit from providing abortion services? 
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. All revenue goes back into the services Planned Parenthood provides to our communities.
 
When does life begin? 
Questions about when life begins are personal, and it’s just not that simple. For some it’s based on faith; for others, it’s a matter of science or medicine. There is no general consensus. However, one thing we do all know is that politicians are not the experts.
 
Does Planned Parenthood provide abortion up until the moment of birth? 
In Tennessee, outpatient medical centers like Planned Parenthood are restricted by state law from providing abortion services after 19 weeks and 6 days gestation. “Late-term abortions” or third trimester abortions are medical misinformation sensationalized by anti-abortion politicians to distract and mislead people about what is medically factual and realistic about abortion care. Abortions later in pregnancy occur in circumstances where the life or health of the pregnant person is at risk and/or the fetus cannot survive outside the womb. According to an analysis conducted by the CDC in 2015, abortions after 24 weeks comprise less than 1% of all abortions in the United States. 
 
Is Planned Parenthood racist for providing abortions?
No. Due to the robust legacy of racism in the United States, a disproportionate number of Black people face harmful barriers to accessing quality, affordable health care services. It is important to look at the underlying causes of higher abortion rates. Higher rates of abortion are predominantly linked to poverty and a lack of access to prevention services. Planned Parenthood works to address racial and economic inequity in access to reproductive health care by providing low cost, high quality prevention services such as birth control, STI testing and treatment, free condoms, and important information about sexual health. 
 
Improved access to reproductive health care services and addressing structural economic challenges help combat these disparities in the Black community, while restricting abortion access disproportionately harms Black pregnant people. 
 
Comparisons of abortion to racism, slavery, or genocide is messaging used by anti-abortion activists to shame Black pregnant people from making the reproductive health decisions that are best for their lives. You can read more about these false narratives in this article by Imani Gandy.