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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Last week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Tennessee’s ban on abortions for reasons such as race, gender, or genetic abnormality.
President of Tennessee Right to Life, Stacy Dunn, said “We applaud the Sixth Circuit for, once again, affirming the voice of the people of Tennessee and upholding this ban on abortions of children based on race, gender or genetic abnormality. This provision, in particular, defends the most vulnerable among us and upholds the virtue that all lives matter regardless of condition or color and it’s time this state and all states take an interest in protecting those lives.”
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Tennessee’s “Reason” ban is part of an anti-abortion measure that has faced multiple legal challenges since it was enacted in 2020 by Governor Lee. The law also had a provision to ban abortion as early as six weeks but that portion has remained blocked.
Tennessee Right to Life issued this statement, “Unborn children are the only group of people who can (legally) be discriminated against because of their race, gender or disability. This ban would end that. Tennessee Right to Life will continue to work with legislators to ensure that all unborn children are protected by law, but the Sixth Circuit has taken a huge step in allowing Tennesseans to end the violence to those who are targeted in our society.”
In last Wednesday’s decision, the court granted the request by the Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s office to reverse course and temporarily allow the ban to be enforced. The 6th Circuit previously blocked that provision in September after allowing it to go into effect in 2020.
The same federal appeals court signaled in December that it might allow Tennessee’s fetal heartbeat measure to be implemented. The court scheduled a rehearing before the full court.
However, Circuit Judge Karen Nelson Moore dissented, writing that the appeals court would refuse to schedule the hearing until the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision on whether to uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
According to Moore, the appeals court is waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision will affect Tennessee’s case.
Currently, more than a dozen states have similar reason bans in place.
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 Directory 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
