Tennessee Commission Gives Family Planning Contract to Religious Health Group

If you want low cost birth control around the Memphis area, you had better be willing to put up with a little proselytizing while you get it. The Shelby County commission has voted 9 to 4 to take their Title X funding away from Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region and instead give it to Christ Community Health Services, a Christian religious health care organization that “will provide high-quality health care to the underserved in the context of distinctively Christian service.”

So what will change for those who need contraception? First of all, Emergency Contraception will no longer be available on site due to “religious objections,” despite the fact that EC is not an abortifacient. They will instead offer it through a “third party,” which will delay the amount of time it will take for a woman to get the medication, making it much more likely she will miss the window of the few days that the preventative drug can work.

Also new to former Planned Parenthood patients? The sermons that may accompany their health screenings and birth control pickups. One Christ Community patient testified at the commission that, “[S]he received a plastic box of birth control pills that she held up before the audience. She said Christ Community provides high-quality medical services, but that they sometimes come with a ‘sermon.’ She said that she had once been told: ‘If only my relationships with people and God were right, I would have fewer health problems.’”

And of course, you can forget any sort of referral if you do decide you want an abortion, or even a follow up with a clinic that is associated with abortions. Christ Community Health Services’ lead physician made it clear that “staffers will not direct patients to abortion clinics or make formal referrals to providers who terminate pregnancies.”

But don’t worry. They said they’ll still love you and will see you if you come back for a follow up after having one. Just be ready for a little more preaching.

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Cathy N.

11:23PM PST on Nov 9, 2011

~Mind boggling!!~

send a green star

lis G.

6:13PM PST on Nov 9, 2011

I can't believe how this topic has been hijacked by religious zealots, agonising confessions of hardship and suffering (survivor guilt???) and scientific ignorance. The vast amounts of hot air, energy and futile biblical arguments is just amazing.

1. Church and state are not synonymous. They are quite separate.

2. There are 145 million orphans in the world today. They are here and now. Many of these were the result of rape used as a weapon in areas of physical violence. No birth control or planned parenthood for these women.

3. A fertilised ovum is not a living human being (a "personage") until it can live and breath by itself.

4. God gave humankind "free will". Hell and heaven are here on earth (except for those who also believe in Limbo and Purgatory, also here and now.) If you live a moral life, you may gain eternal life but if you don't, you will have made this one a better one.

For goodness sake, stop whingeing and proselytising and read something else. Try Greek and Roman myths and legends.

Monica M.

4:54AM PST on Nov 9, 2011

What the hell happened to separation of church and state??

Betty T.

3:58AM PDT on Nov 3, 2011

There were some books of the Bible left out, after "the church" reviewed them. Can't remember how many, four or five? You can read them at your local library. ;)

Amy Beth F.

3:10PM PDT on Oct 30, 2011

Why are these comments centering around a religious debate? Religion is not the issue here. The issue is that in a government-funded facility women are being FORCED to receive religious "coaching" (for lack of a better word) in order to access medical care. This is so clearly unconstitutional, I'm shocked that it even passed. America is founded on seperation of church and state--that's why we all enjoy religious freedom, as opposed to having a state-enforced religion. To use government funds to support a facility with actively promotes a particular religion is flat-out unconstitutional. Now, if this were a privately funded facility, there would be no issue.This is an important issue. What if public schools became the same as religion-based private schools? I attended a private religious school system from kindergarten through college, and I can assure you that there is nothing neutral about the curriculum. Now, I'm sure the folks in Memphis would be thrilled with that idea, if it was a Christian school, but try to make it a Pagan, Muslim, Judaism, or any other non-christian religion, and they would be screaming about their rights being violated. That's exactly what's happening here, beginning with a health-care facility. This healthcare facility is setting a very dangerous precedent.The next thing you know they'll be trying to pass law requiring everyone to attend a christian church on Sunday.

Carol M.

12:25PM PDT on Oct 29, 2011

Jane ,.... Reason on this .. two people have a beautiful child ,and brings this one up to be law abiding and teaches it right from wrong, is it the parents fault if the child turns bad and becomes a murderer , or a theif? If I were you, I would tell God you are very sorry for calling him a murderer . it is very sad that people blame God for the bad that is on earth . He gets blamed for ALL the bad and mother nature gets all the credit for the beautiful earth, and all of his creation. Just like that beautiful child made himself into what his heart wanted , so too that beautiful angel, one of Gods sons made himself Satan the devil when he took what did not belong to him and then spred inperfection , look up those scriptures and you`ll see.

Jane B.

11:32AM PDT on Oct 29, 2011

But GOD created ADAM!! You mean GOD created IMPERFECTION? That's impossible.
GOD is perfect. GOD is responsible for EVERYTHING and he even knows when a hair falls off your head. GOD CAUSES MISCARRIAGES! GOD IS A BABY MURDERER.

5:31PM PDT on Oct 28, 2011

Veronica, God is not responsible for the spontainous abortion`s , it is from the inperfection of man that we recieved from Adam . If you have a bible look up Romans 5: 12 ...... also look up Hebrews 2 :14 the one who causes death is the devil, but goes on to say that because of Jesus and what he did for us,he will bring an end to that .

1:04PM PDT on Oct 28, 2011

In reading these last comments , there is NO evidence that there were any other books of the bible that were left out, there was a mention of a book of Barnabas, but again this book does not go along with the bible writings of the 1st century christians. so was written later after his death . Barnabas` real name was Joseph before being given the surname of Barnabas , which means " son of comfort" this is important because he was surnamed this before Saul was surnamed Paul showing he must have been the older of the two, and all Of Pauls writings are included in the bible ,including the kind of person and christian Barnabas was. and all of the holy writings are without fault , and clearly show the purpose of them. from the beginning to the end . Gen. - Rev.... Creation , when and where , mans sin, how the creator fortold how he would fix this , how his purpose for the earth will come about and how he will do it , but isn`t it funny how the wise and so smart relg. teachers , theo`s , and the know it alls,.. think they know it all? where people want to put their own thoughts in. But Jesus said in Matt. 11: 25 " I publicly praise you , father , Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have given them to babes" so we have to be humble , honest , meek and use common sence . Prov. 3 :5 " Trust in God with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding"

Veronica F.

12:22PM PDT on Oct 28, 2011

I wonder what "Christian's" think of God being responsible for so many spontaneous miscarriages a/k/a natural abortions ... Why, he far surpasses all clinics combined, nationwide, in terms of the number of abortion performed ... seems to me they should take their b*tch up with him ...

One more step in the Ol' South's march towards theocratic rule and return to the good old days ... ... thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster I live in the Northeast and an atheist!