New Tennessee Law Criminalizes Abortion Trafficking Of Minors
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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Governor Lee has signed a bill into law that makes it a criminal offense to assist minors in obtaining an abortion by transporting them across state lines.
The legislation HB1895/SB1971, sponsored by Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14) and Senator Paul Rose (R-Lauderdale, Shelby, and Tipton Counties-District 32) has been called a “parental protection plan” by the bill sponsors who state that the bill makes parental permission a requirement for a minor to be transported for the purpose of having an abortion.
The Senate passed an amended version of the bill on April 10th in a vote of 26 in favor, 3 against and 1 person present but not voting.
All Senate Republicans voted in favor of the bill with the exception of Senator Art Swann (R-Maryville-District 2) who was counted as “Present But Not Voting.”
In the Senate, there were three total amendments proposed but only one, by Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District ), was adopted and received passage tied to the bill.
Gardenhire’s amendment can be reviewed HERE.
On the Floor vote in the House, the bill received passage with only one Republican voting against – Representative Sam Whitson (R-Franklin-District 65).
In the House, Representative Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain-District 27) proposed House Amendment HA1085 which was adopted by the chamber prior to the final vote.
Hazlewood’s amendment can be reviewed HERE.
The major difference between the original version of the bill and the amended versions that were passed is the addition of the text that the criminal penalty does not apply to a person who “has obtained the written, notarized consent of the unemancipated minor’s parent or guardian,” to transport a minor out-of-state to receive an abortion.
House Bill Sponsor Jason Zachary said that the goal of the legislation is to stop those who would attempt to bypass the state’s current abortion laws and are “looking to take advantage of vulnerable minors” by helping a minor obtain an abortion.
“I’m going to always take every step possible to protect life. We’ve done that in our state and I believe we have a mandate to do that based on the makeup of our legislature,” Zachary stated.
Upon Governor Lee’s signing of the legislation into law, Tennessee Right to Life issued this statement:
Tennessee Right to Life would like to thank Governor Lee for signing into law HB1895/SB1971, the Underage Abortion Trafficking Act. Tennesseans are fortunate to have a Governor who supports the rights of parents to protect their daughters and be involved in their wellbeing.
The measure passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate this session and will make it a crime for any adult to recruit, harbor or transport a minor to abort a child or to obtain abortion chemicals for her without the consent of her parents.
As the sponsors of the legislation pointed out, this bill is a parental consent bill aimed to protect minors from being taken for invasive surgery or given dangerous abortion chemicals without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
“Passage of the Underage Abortion Trafficking Act is a victory for Tennessee parents and their daughters. This law will go a long way in protecting young girls from predators who want to cover their crimes and from an abortion industry that exploits young girls for profit,” said Tennessee Right to Life lobbyist, Will Brewer.
The importance of this legislation has become even more urgent as the abortion industry is looking for ways to get around the laws in pro-life states like Tennessee. Recently, Planned Parenthood was caught admitting that they facilitate abortion travel for underage girls and those aiding and abetting them, without the knowledge or consent of their parents.
“We are grateful that Governor Lee signed this legislation. Parents have a right to be involved with their daughters’ wellbeing. The abortion industry has no right to keep parents in the dark at a time when their daughters are so vulnerable and could possibly be in danger,” said Stacy Dunn, President of Tennessee Right to Life.
Violation of the law is a Class A misdemeanor with mandatory jail time of 11 months and 29 days. It also creates a civil liability for this action. The law goes into effect July 1, 2024.
