Tennessee Senate OKs a bill that would make it illegal for adults to help minors seeking abortions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Tennessee on Wednesday advanced legislation making it illegal for adults to help minors get an abortion without parental consent, sparking objections from Democrats who counter that doing so could result in young victims needing approval from their parents who may have raped them in order to terminate the pregnancies.

The GOP-controlled Senate signed off on the proposal 26-3. The bill is still advancing toward the floor in the House.

“There are people who are in situations and circumstances that we cannot fathom,” said Democratic state Sen. Raumesh Akbari. “If someone is a victim of rape or incest and a teenager, and they want to seek these services, their abusers can determine if they can access them. That’s a step too far.”

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.

So far, Idaho has been the only state to enact a so-called “ abortion trafficking ” law, but a federal judge has temporarily blocked the law after reproductive rights groups sued to challenge it.

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