PRESS STATEMENT
Nashville, October 4, 2025 – Tennessee Right to Life is pleased to learn of the closing of one of the Planned Parenthood facilities in Memphis. Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi announced on their website that they would temporarily close the facility at 835 Virginia Run Cove.
The announcement blamed the closure on President Trump and Congress restricting Medicaid funds from going to the organization. Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill by Congress prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to subsidize the abortion industry for one year.
The center will be closed starting Monday, October 6.
Although Planned Parenthood facilities in Tennessee have been unable to legally abort unborn children since the Human Life Protection Act took effect in August of 2022, they have continued to operate offices in Knoxville, Nashville and two in Memphis. Their website says that their other Memphis facility will remain open.
“Planned Parenthood continues to promote death and destruction in our state. Last year, they spent a million dollars trying to unseat pro-life legislators. They arrange for travel and lodging for babies to be aborted in other states, and they spread their deadly agenda in our communities,” stated Stacy Dunn, TN Right to Life President. “We are grateful that the de-funding of Planned Parenthood has helped bring about this closure, even if it is only temporary. Any day that the doors of Planned Parenthood are closed is a good day,” she concluded.
Grab a Friend! Let’s Talk LIFE!
Daniel Breeden | daniel@tnrtl.org | 615/298-LIFE
After a contentious debate last Thursday, HB0533 passed in the House. This bill will codify an unlimited right to in-vitro fertilization, without restriction, in Tennessee law. There is nothing in the law that prohibits IVF, so the law is unnecessary.
This bill would allow, as a right under the law, the destruction of “unwanted” human embryos as well as screening/testing that would identify certain traits and characteristics that could target these tiny humans for destruction. Without regulations around this industry, creating an unlimited right to IVF is dangerous and reckless. (read more here)
CatholicVote’s recent alert on HB0533 pointed out that “IVF may seem pro-life on the surface, but the reality is grim: For every human embryo born through IVF, multiple of his or her siblings were destroyed. There are currently no restrictions on how many embryos can be created through IVF. The number of embryos killed every year via IVF is actually higher than the annual number of abortions.”
HB0533 will now go to the Governor’s desk for his signature. We are asking him to veto this bill. LIFE depends on him.
Please CLICK HERE at your earliest convenience to email Governor Lee.
If you aren’t a dues paying member and are interested in joining Shelby County RTL, we would love for you to join! The annual $25 membership dues may be submitted at any meeting. Even if you can’t submit membership at this time, we would love for you to join us to find out additional ways that you can get involved in standing for life.
Annual dues help fund our following projects:
- Pro-Life family exhibit at the Delta Fair, at a cost of $1,000 for booth rent, requiring over 194 volunteer hours to staff, featuring three sets of fetal models displaying human development, and providing Pro-Life literature at no cost for the hundreds of fairgoers drawn to our booth.
- “Celebrate Life” Pro-Life Assembly, observing Sanctity of Human Life Day and scheduled in 2025 on Sunday, January 19, 1:30 P.M., Madonna Learning Center, 7007 Poplar Ave., Germantown, TN 38138.
- Pro-life Oratory Contest open to high school students and aimed at encouraging teens to prepare a Pro-Life speech; thus, helping to develop tomorrow’s pro-life leaders. The chapter winner receives $100 and gets to compete at the state level and possibly advance to the national level. Also, second, third and fourth place winners respectively receive awards of $75, $50, and $25.
Note that of the $25 membership, $15 goes to the Shelby County Chapter and $10 goes to TN Right to Life.
Tennessee’s Human Life Protection Act (HLPA), which currently protects the unborn from abortion (an estimated 900 babies monthly), is under attack in our TN General Assembly; thus, we ought to contact our legislators with the following simple message: “I urge that you oppose all efforts to weaken the Human Life Protection Act.” By emailing, phoning, or writing our state Senator and Representative, we Pro-Life voters will have done our part to defend the HLPA and safeguard our unborn brothers and sisters from abortion.
How to contact our state Senator and Representative
Visit www.capitol.tn.gov; scroll to the bottom of the page; click either ‘Senate Members’ or ‘House Members’; click on your legislator’s name for their contact info, including an email window.
Don’t know your state Senator or Representative
Visit www.capitol.tn.gov; scroll to the bottom of the page; click either ‘Senate Members’ or ‘House Members’; at top right corner, key in your address, click search and you’ll be given their names and email addresses.
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Click here to visit Tennessee Right to Life