TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Amelia Ferrell Knisely on Nov 23, 2015

In a letter issued last week to state lawmakers, Gov. Bill Haslam revealed, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Department of Health recently conducted unannounced inspections of the state’s four largest abortion providers to ensure they are in compliance with all laws and regulations. It is against Tennessee law to sell fetal tissues, but there are no laws in place requiring abortion providers to report on the disposal methods. In the letter, Haslam wrote that he intends to “prevent the abhorrent activities discussed in the Planned Parenthood videos from occurring in Tennessee.” The governor also wrote he would be proposing legislation in January "to strengthen accountability and transparency for surgery centers performing abortions."