skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

TN Reaction in the Debate Over Federal Funding of Planned Parenting

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 5, 2009   

Nashville, TN – A stark line has been drawn between two sides debating whether to continue allowing federal funds to support Planned Parenthood. U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) has introduced legislation to drastically cut the organization's use of federal tax dollars, while an independant study, performed by the Guttmacher Institute, reports publicly funded family planning services, at both hospitals and nonprofit clinics, are highly effective and actually save money.

Keri Adams, vice president of community affairs for Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, says the study shows Tennessee saves on TennCare maternity costs when her organization receives federal funding. 12,000 low-income women are served every year, she adds.

"The study estimates that, for every dollar spent on family planning services in Tennessee, we save $6.37 on TennCare-related maternity costs."

Vitter's effort to cut federal money is short-sighted, claims Adams.

"If preventing abortion is really what they are concerned with, they would be working with us to increase our funding to help women prevent unintended pregnancy in the first place."

Those wishing to cut the funding say Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest provider of abortions. Adams argues the federal funds can't be used to provide abortion services, only family planning. A vote on Vitter's amendment to bill HR1105 is likely tomorrow or Saturday.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021