Tennessee would criminalize helping minors get abortions under bill heading to governor

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.

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