Appeals court spikes Tennessee's bid to get family planning dollars despite abortion rule

A federal appeals court has rejected Tennessee’s attempt to collect millions of dollars in family planning funds without complying with federal rules requiring clinics to provide abortion referrals due to its current ban on the procedure. Last year, Tennessee’s attorney general filed a federal complaint seeking to overturn the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ decision to disqualify the state from receiving money through a family planning program called Title X. However, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the state wasn't obligated to accept the money. It noted Tennessee lawmakers approved of replacing the lost federal dollars with state funding.