Community leaders and officials with Planned Parenthood celebrate the official reopening of the organization’s Knoxville Health Center nearly three years after arson destroyed the original facility. (Photo: Angela Dennis)
Nearly three years after an arson attack destroyed its facility, Planned Parenthood in Knoxville celebrated the official reopening of its clinic on Thursday. The new facility marks a fresh beginning for the organization that has served East Tennessee with reproductive health services for more than two decades.
A fire destroyed the original Knoxville Planned Parents almost three years ago, and weeks before it was set to reopen after a multimillion dollar renovation.
Ashley Coffield, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi , said that providers at the new Knoxville office have seen more than 300 patients since reopening in October.
“We are ecstatic to be back,” Coffield said. “In light of the election last week, this new health center holds even deeper meaning for me, as it is physical proof of our resilience even when all seems lost.”
Unsealed documents identify man behind arson, shooting at Knoxville Planned Parenthood
The December 2021 fire was one in a series of attacks on the Knoxville clinic. Federal court documents show that Mark Thomas Reno, the man responsible for the fire, also vandalized the clinic earlier by shooting through its front doors. He was indicted for firing shots at a federal office building in Knoxville, just two weeks after traveling to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Reno died in a Kentucky hospital in 2022, and his connection to the attack on the reproductive health clinic was not made public at the time.
“It was a hate crime and act of terrorism against our community and the women in our city,” said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon“That crime could have caused fear and division but instead spanked unity and commitment to see this project through.”
After the loss of the former clinic, Planned Parenthood operated a mobile health unit to serve patients in the Knoxville area. The former location treated more than 4,000 patients annually and officials say the continued demand and requests for visits shows a significant need in the city.
The new Knoxville Planned Parenthood center includes upgraded security measures, a fence around the building’s perimeter and enhanced privacy for patients.
The clinic will maintain its wide range of health services for the community, including birth control options, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing, well-person checkups, gender-affirming services, screenings and management for high blood pressure and consultations for other medical concerns.
In 2025, the clinic plans to broaden its services further by introducing vasectomy procedures for male patients.
Prior to Tennessee enacting an abortion ban in July 2022, Tennessee had multiple clinics providing abortion services, but now patients seeking these services must travel out of state. The Knoxville Planned Parenthood clinic will provide abortion navigation services for those seeking to travel for abortions.
Judges temporarily block discipline of doctors who perform emergency abortions in Tennessee
Tennessee’s strict abortion ban faces several legal challenges. A three-judge panel ruled in October that doctors performing emergency abortions to save a patient’s life cannot be penalized. The decision temporarily shields medical providers from disciplinary actions, including the revocation of licenses while a lawsuit against the state’s extensive abortion ban continues.
The ongoing lawsuit seeks a permanent adjustment to the law, arguing that more comprehensive health exceptions are necessary to avoid life-threatening complications for patients in Tennessee.
The suit, led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, argues that Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban, which does not allow exceptions for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies, forces doctors to delay life-saving care for fear of punishment. The state’s abortion law only allows exceptions when the patient faces imminent death or serious bodily harm, leaving providers with narrow circumstances under which they can act.
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“I think this lawsuit is evidence that the law was terrible, punitive and dangerous to women and a panel of judges agreed with that decision, ” said Coffield. “Planned Parenthood of Tennessee will continue to build power from the ground up, through relationship building, civil education, voter registration and engagement and will continue to do that for years to come.”
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