For emergency medical help to reversal a drug-induced abortion, immediately call the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) hotline at: (877) 558-0333
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (LifeSiteNews) – Tennessee last week enacted a new round of restrictions on abortion and LGBT ideology, imposing stiff penalties for mail-delivered abortion-inducing drugs and banning “transgender” males from women’s college sports.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed HB 2416, which outlaws distributing abortion pills, such as mifepristone, by mail and allows only certain qualified doctors to administer the drugs.
Under the law, a doctor has to examine a woman in person before providing the pills during a return visit and must schedule another follow-up appointment one to two weeks later. The measure bars pharmacists and other non-doctors from giving out abortion drugs.
Violations can result in Class E felony charges and up to $50,000 in fines, as well as civil action against medical professionals, though mothers are exempted from penalties. A previous version of the bill stated that violators could face up to 20 years in prison, required that women be informed about the abortion pill reversal method, and explicitly banned distributing the pills at school.
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The new Tennessee law defies Biden administration guidance issued last year allowing mail delivery of abortion-inducing drugs. No lawsuits have been filed against HB 2416, however, which takes effect on January 1, 2023, according to AP News.
Tennessee is among around 20 other states with similar restrictions on abortion pills.
Studies have shown that chemical abortions, which now account for around half of abortions in the U.S., can result in serious side effects and that nearly 7 percent of women require surgical intervention after the procedure.
Tennessee is one of 13 states with “trigger” laws that would criminalize virtually all abortions in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Saving women’s college sports
On Friday, Gov. Lee also approved HB 2316, a law that bans males from competing against women in public and some private colleges and universities.
Higher education institutions “must rely upon the sex listed on the student’s original birth certificate issued at or near the time of birth,” according to the law.
Students who suffer loss of athletic opportunity or other direct or indirect harms due to violations of HB 2316 can sue schools for injunctive relief, damages, and other costs, such as legal fees. Government entities and athletic organizations may not retaliate against schools for complying with the law.
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The new legislation comes after Tennessee enacted similar protections last year for girls’ middle school and high school sports. Gov. Lee also signed a bill last month to defund K-12 schools that fail to enforce Tennessee’s single-sex sports rules.
For emergency medical help to reversal a drug-induced abortion, immediately call the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) hotline at: (877) 558-0333