Life after Roe

Chandler Inions, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
·1 min read

Jun. 30—Tennessee healthcare providers are pushing back against the United States Supreme Court's ruling last week that overturned 50 years of legal precedent regarding a woman's right to access abortion.

The reversal of the order means that abortions are no longer federally protected, leaving the decision in the hands of state legislatures. In Tennessee, a trigger law will go into effect making abortion a class-C felony within the next 30 days. Physicians and those associated who perform an abortion could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

On Tuesday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated an injunction that was stopping the state's "fetal heartbeat" law from taking effect, so the six-week abortion ban is effectively back in force. Abortion clinics in Tennessee have already stopped taking future appointments.