Tennessee Lawmakers Want Inspectors To ‘Dig A Little Deeper’ Into Planned Parenthood

Republican lawmakers in Tennessee raised the possibility Wednesday of placing more regulations on abortion providers.

At a hearing called in response to hidden-camera videos released over the summer, state health officials told lawmakers they have no evidence that any Tennessee clinics deal in fetal tissue. Commissioner John Dreyzehner said it would be illegal under state law to buy or sell any part of a fetus.

But officials told lawmakers that health inspectors have to rely on clinics to document how fetuses are disposed of, and they don’t have any way to know if those papers are true.

That bothers state Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Faison.

“I want them to have the authority to dig a little deeper than they’re digging,” he said.

It was the only concrete proposal to emerge from the hour-long hearing.

But coming up with new ideas wasn’t the meeting’s purpose, says Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville.

“The point of this hearing was to give them an opportunity to take pot shots at Planned Parenthood and the health services that they provide to women.”

No one from Planned Parenthood testified, though two members of Congress did — U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black. They gave a briefing on what Congress is doing in response to the Planned Parenthood videos and urged Tennessee lawmakers to stay on the issue.