Image Credit: Senator Ken Yager / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Tennessee’s new law banning abortions has garnered criticism since its inception last year. One Republican senator says he plans to sponsor a bill to add exceptions to the current law.
The abortion ban makes all abortions illegal beginning at the moment of conception. Doctors who perform abortions can be prosecuted and risk a $10,000 fine and up to 15 years in prison if they cannot prove in court that the procedure was medically necessary to save the life of the mother.
State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston-District 12) is sponsoring a bill that would allow exceptions for physicians who perform abortions to save the mother’s life.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville-District 25) noted that he would support a bill with exceptions for saving the life of the mother and for victims of rape and incest and stated that “clarification” of the law is needed.
Yager, who is an attorney, told the Tennessean that the exceptions would be “pro-life for the mother and pro-life for the unborn child.” He says the current law makes doctors hesitant to perform procedures that would normally be deemed medically necessary.
“Although well intended, the affirmative defense provision is not only overly burdensome for physicians but it can prevent them from performing life-saving abortions for fear of litigation, which puts at risk the lives of pregnant women who require medically necessary abortions,” Yager said.
State Representative Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga-District 28) has filed a similar bill that also includes additional exceptions related to a pregnant woman’s mental health.
“[Let’s] not put our doctors in a position of being at war, so to speak, with the legal system,” Hakeem said. “I have reports from incoming physicians who are opting not to come to Tennessee because they don’t want to be in that position to prove their innocence.”
State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7) has also been vocal about his belief that the law needs to be changed, noting that he voted for the law initially back in 2019.
Briggs says he is a “pro-life” Republican and appreciates that the law has worked to shut down abortion clinics across the state, but he claims he did not really understand the law in its entirety as it is currently written.
“I never would have voted for the bill if I had appreciated what is there,” Briggs stated. “I’m not an attorney, I didn’t know what affirmative defense was. I didn’t think there would be anything, anywhere, in the American jurisprudence system where a person could be [presumed] guilty and have to prove his innocence.”
Briggs says his years of work in the medical field as a heart surgeon have pushed him to speak his mind, although he says he will not break the commitment he made to the Tennessee Right to Life to not sponsor any bills to amend the current law.
“To me, it’s a matter of principle,” Briggs said. “It’s potentially a matter of life or death.”
Lt. Governor Randy McNally told the Tennessean that he is “comfortable as it stands” with the current law. Governor Bill Lee insists that all necessary provisions are already made for physicians in the existing law and that no changes are needed.
It is anticipated that the consideration of exceptions to the abortion ban will be a hot topic of debate in the 2023 Legislative session.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
5 Responses
Abortion is not the answer to a pregnancy that endangers the life of the mother. Birth is the answer. Some of these babies will not live because they are not viable but abortion is NOT the answer. This guy has no clue. They use these scary terms to make people think we want mothers to die from pregnancy. A mothers life being endangered from a pregnancy is extremely rare and can be successfully addressed by birth not abortion. Some of those babies may not make it but many of them will. High blood pressure in pregnancy is the most common threat and again birth has always been the solution not abortion. Do not be swayed by fear porn spread by this politician who in my opinion is obviously seeking votes.
Forcing religious views on people violates the Bill of Rights. The Court abortion decision cost the Repubs House and Senate seats. Don’t be an extremist. If the Dems take full control they will pass a law that all abortions are legal nationwide.
I’m a conservative but won’t vote for someone who would force a raped girl to have a rapists’ baby and I don’t think many parents would force their daughters to. Read the polls – 70% want exceptions for rape.
You are absolutely correct. A friend of mine is an OBGYN with more than 1,000 deliveries to his credit. He said on an interview with FOX News a couple of years ago that there is NO medical need for a late term abortion to protect the life of the mother. Medical science has progressed to the point that both mother and child can be cared for properly and saved. The pro-aborts are desperate to create a false narrative, and they have fed that to the media to promulgate that misinformation for many years. We are not living in the year 1900 anymore,
and the right to life is the most important of our God -given rights.
Just inventing a loophole for Murder of the unborn to a non-existent problem. All about the money for these Doctors of death.
There should be NO changes to the law as it currently stands. In the case of rape or incest the baby is still innocent. Aborting those babies is no different than a “normal” abortion. It’s murder just the same. In those cases (rape/incest) provisions should be made for the mother to give the baby up at birth should she so desire.