Women’s Rights Under Attack in Tennessee
Attorney General moves swiftly following Dobbs decision
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The Daily Memphian is reporting on the ongoing assault on women’s rights in Tennessee, where lawmakers have enacted a number of abortion restrictions in recent years and where now, the Attorney General is moving swiftly to achieve a near-total ban on abortion in the state.
A six-week “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban can now take effect in Tennessee.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade Friday, June 24 — thereby allowing states to ban abortion — the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted a legal red light that had stopped the law signed by Gov. Bill Lee.
As the Daily Memphian notes, this new law is strict, but more restrictions are on the way:
The law is strict, but not as strict as the “trigger law” which is set to take effect in less than 30 days. That law bans all abortions except those where the life of the pregnant woman is in immediate danger. There are no exceptions for rape, incest or mental illness.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Martin, a physician, has spoken out against the ban:
“As a physician, I also worry about how this impacts how we treat women in the hospital — how can I give someone the best medical care possible when medical decisions are no longer just between a woman and her doctor? Tennessee’s trigger law will be detrimental to the health and safety of all Tennesseans, and we cannot let that stand.”