TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Mar 10, 2022

A bill mirroring the restrictive abortion ban passed last year in Texas is set to be heard by the Tennessee House Health subcommittee next week, the Tennessean reports. Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, signed an amendment to House Bill 2779 that would ban abortions except to prevent the death or "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" of the pregnant woman. The legislation blocks state enforcement of the ban, instead allowing state residents to sue abortion providers or a person who "aids or abets" abortions, such as by paying for or reimbursing the costs of a procedure. Residents who successfully sue under the proposed law could receive $10,000 or more for "each abortion that the defendant performed," according to Alexander's amendment.