The law provides a medical exception for abortions that are required to save the life of the mother or prevent serious harm to one of her major bodily functions. [...] And Tennessee voters have recently and repeatedly affirmed their commitment to protecting the lives of unborn babies, including in a 2014 amendment to the Tennessee Constitution. [...] Prominent pro-life group Tennessee Right to Life opposed changing the law, stating that its “most preferential position” was to keep the original version.”4 In the legislative session that followed, the General Assembly weighed these concerns and passed a series of responsive amendments. [...] Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.”8 The Complaint presses state substantive due process, equal protection, and vagueness claims against (1) the State, for “enact[ing] the abortion ban and its Medical Condition Exception,” (2) Attorney General Skrmetti, on the theory he might ask the Supreme Court to appoint different district attorneys general to more strictly enforce. [...] But the Complaint acknowledges that the “only officials responsible for criminal enforcement of the abortion prohibition”—the District Attorneys of Davidson and Williamson Counties—have “declined to enforce the criminal abortion ban” either generally (Davidson) or in emergency situations (Williamson).
Authors
- Pages
- 38
- Published in
- United States of America
