March 9, 2021

Federal Judge Extends Injunctions Against Tennessee Pro-Life Law

A federal judge has chosen to extend an injunction preventing the state of Tennessee from enforcing a pro-life law.

Last July, Tennessee passed a law that banned abortion under several circumstances. If the unborn child's heartbeat is detectable; or the reasoning for the abortion discriminates against the child's sex, race, or prenatal diagnosis, that abortion would be banned under HB2263. It included other restrictions based on the gestational age of unborn children and required abortionists to notify women about abortion pill reversal.

U.S. District Judge William Campbell issued a temporary restraining order against the heartbeat and gestational age restrictions in July. He followed that up by issuing another temporary restraining order against the abortion pill reversal part of the law in September. He attempted to block the measure outlawing discriminatory abortions as well, but the Sixth Circuit ruled that the portion of the law could go into effect.

Judge Campbell's order extends his injunctions against the three provisions that he blocked already.

Stacy Dunn, president of Tennessee Right to Life, criticized the judge's ruling: “The work that pro-life Tennesseans and their duly elected officials have done to protect women and their unborn children is under attack by the abortion industry. Judge Campbell’s decision plays right into the hands of those who want to keep women in the dark about their unborn children and all the options available to them.”

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