Current:Home > ContactTennessee would criminalize helping minors get abortions under bill heading to governor -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Tennessee would criminalize helping minors get abortions under bill heading to governor
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:34:27
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is poised to become the second state in the nation to make it illegal for adults to help minors get an abortion without parental consent, a proposal that is likely to face immediate legal challenges should Gov. Bill Lee sign it into law.
Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Statehouse approved the bill Wednesday, clearing the way for the measure to head to the Republican governor’s desk. While Lee hasn’t public commented on the proposal, he has repeatedly defended enacting the state’s sweeping abortion ban and stressed his opposition to the procedure.
Yet, even if Lee signs the measure into law, reproductive rights advocates are expected to move quickly to ask a court to block the statute from being enforced. Last year, Idaho became the first state to enact the so-called “ abortion trafficking ” law, but a federal judge has since temporarily blocked the law after reproductive rights groups sued to challenge it.
“This bill is a direct attack on me, on my family, on my friends, on my network that support Tennesseans who are pregnant and vulnerable minors that need access to care to go across state lines and receive the necessary care,” said Democratic Rep. Aftyn Behn while debating the bill Tuesday evening.
According to the legislation, Tennessee would make it illegal for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports” a pregnant minor within the state to get an abortion without consent from the minor’s parents or guardians. Yet supporters changed the proposal at the last-minute to exempt ambulance drivers, emergency medical services personnel and other common transportation services.
Those convicted of breaking the law would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which requires a nearly one year imprisonment sentence.
Republican Rep. Jason Zachary, the bill’s House sponsor, specifically referenced Behn’s previous public promise to help any young person travel out of state if they needed an abortion “even if it lands me in jail.”
“That’s what recruitment looks like,” Zachary said as Behn pointed at herself while he read her statement.
Meanwhile, Zachary also argued that the bill was necessary by pointing to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by Missouri’s attorney general.
Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey has accused Planned Parenthood of illegally taking minors from Missouri into Kansas to obtain abortions without parental consent. The lawsuit, based on a video from a conservative group that has promoted false claims on other issues, is asking a state district court to stop Planned Parenthood from engaging in the conduct it alleges.
“This piece of legislation protects parental rights,” Zachary said. “We are not relitigating abortion. That issue has already been settled in Tennessee fortunately.”
However, critics have countered that the bill does not contain exemptions for minors who may have been raped by their parents or guardians. Instead, the legislation states that the biological father of the pregnant minor may not pursue a civil action if the pregnancy was caused by rape.
Among the top critics of the measure is California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who launched an advertising campaign criticizing the Republican-backed bill by showing a young frightened woman handcuffed to a hospital bed and crying for help with a sexual assault evidence collection kit visible in the frame.
Tennessee bans abortions at all stages of pregnancy but there are exemptions in cases of molar pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies, and to remove a miscarriage or to save the life of the mother. Notably, doctors must use their “reasonable medical” judgment — a term that some say is too vague and can be challenged by fellow medical officials — in deciding whether providing the procedure can save the life of the pregnant patient or prevent major injury.
A group of women is currently suing to clarify the state’s abortion ban. A court decision is expected soon on whether the lawsuit can continue or if the law can be placed on hold as the legal battle continues.
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, anti-abortion advocates have been pushing states to find a way to block pregnant people from crossing state lines to obtain the procedure.
veryGood! (2154)
Related
- Boy who wandered away from his 5th birthday party found dead in canal, police say
- Freight train derails in upstate New York, disrupting Amtrak service
- Judge rejects attempt to temporarily block Connecticut’s landmark gun law passed after Sandy Hook
- Prosecutor wants to defend conviction of former Missouri detective who killed Black man
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- Family mistakenly held at gunpoint by Texas police say the stop traumatized the kids in the car
- Why has hiring stayed strong? States, cities are finally boosting pay and adding workers
- Shortness of breath can be a scary thing. How to tell if anxiety is to blame.
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Hearts, brains and bones: Stolen body parts scandal stretches from Harvard to Kentucky
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Russia to announce a verdict in Navalny case; the Kremlin critic expects a lengthy prison term
- Tennessee Titans release OL Jamarco Jones after multiple fights almost sparked brawl
- A landmark study opens a new possible way for Black Americans to trace their ancestry
- Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
- Why Taylor Swift Says She Trusts Suki Waterhouse to Keep Any Secret
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return, rebooted and reinvigorated, for 'Mutant Mayhem'
- Family of man who died in bedbug-infested cell in Georgia jail reaches settlement with county
Recommendation
A New York Appellate Court Rejects a Broad Application of the State’s Green Amendment
House panel releases interview transcript of Devon Archer, Hunter Biden's former business partner, testifying on Joe Biden calls
Remains found in shallow grave in 2007 identified as Florida woman who was never reported missing
Investigation timeline of Gilgo Beach murders
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Are time limits at restaurants a reasonable new trend or inhospitable experience? | Column
White House says top Russian official pitched North Korea on increasing sale of munitions to Moscow
Global food prices rise after Russia ends grain deal and India restricts rice exports