Appeals Court Rules Against Tennessee’s Bid for Family Planning Funds

A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that Tennessee could be excluded from receiving family planning grant funding due to the state’s refusal to comply with federal rules mandating abortion referrals. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s decision that the state was not eligible for the funds provided by the family planning program, Title X, unless it complied with the rules. The three-judge panel rejected Tennessee’s argument that the federal rules infringe on its state sovereignty, noting that the state cannot use its abortion ban to “dictate eligibility requirements” for Title X grants....