Tennessee State Capital
Instead, the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to review the issue further over the summer and take it up next year after members spent nearly two hours rehashing past key abortion court battles, discussing pregnancy viability with medical officials and criticizing the history of Planned Parenthood.
The committee’s 5-3 decision came after the same panel advanced a separate anti-abortion bill — known as the Human Life Protection Act — that would ensure most abortions would be outlawed should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota have similar laws on the books triggering abortion bans if the nation’s high court overturns the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Kentucky and Missouri are considering enacting such bills this year.
The two proposals have split Tennessee’s GOP-dominated General Assembly this year as Republican lawmakers have fought to find ways to undermine abortion rights but have disagreed on the best proposal to submit to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk.
Notably, Tennessee’s Right to Life opposed the so-called fetal heartbeat bill, arguing it would defend bills that could survive legal scrutiny. During Tuesday’s committee hearing, the group’s attorney, Will Brewer, told lawmakers that the trigger ban was “the only pro-life” legislation his group could endorse on the panel’s agenda for that day.
Yet other groups pleaded with the panel not to give up on their intent to limit access to abortions in Tennessee.
