Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi petitioned a Nashville court to set aside a sweeping legal demand by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to turn over the organization’s donor details, healthcare provider information and the medical records of adult and minor patients.
The legal petition, filed Wednesday in Davidson County Chancery Court, makes public for the first time the existence of an ongoing and wide-ranging investigation into the nonprofit operator of four Tennessee clinics. Since the state’s 2022 abortion ban, the organization has ceased offering abortions as part of its healthcare services. Instead, it offers information, financial assistance and referrals to pregnant patients seeking abortions outside of Tennessee.
In a Sept. 3 demand letter, Skrmetti appeared to target those post-abortion-ban services. The letter said the state ” had reason to believe” the organization had engaged in multiple violations of state law. Among Skrmetti’s demands are for the Planned Parenthood affiliate to turn over all documents, emails and communications connected to “any person you assisted, helped or are otherwise aware of” who obtained abortion pills in the mail or via telemedicine.
Earlier this week, Abortion Care Tennessee revealed it is also the subject of a similar demand letter and investigation by the attorney general that seeks extensive internal documents regarding the delivery of abortion medication by mail. Abortion Care Tennessee provides information and funding to Tennessee patients seeking abortions.
Skrmetti’s demand letter to Planned Parenthood also seeks records of patients treated for gender dysphoria or gender identity disorders, including the records of more than a dozen individuals identified by name whose individual clinical records are being sought as part of the probe. The patient names are redacted in a copy of the demand letter entered into court records.