Abortion travel ban awaits Governor Lee’s signature

NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee will have even greater powers to force people to give birth, under a travel ban aimed at stopping minors from leaving the state to obtain an abortion. “Our state lawmakers have shown time and again that they want the power to force people to give birth, and they will go to more and more extreme lengths to achieve that goal,” said Francie Hunt, executive director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. “The only way to stop this assault on freedom is to vote them out.” During the debate, bill sponsor Rep. Jason Zachary said he brought the legislation after petitioning the governor unsuccessfully to prevent a 14-year-old girl from obtaining an abortion. The clip is available at The Tennessee Holler, and the original video is available on the General Assembly’s website. “It’s chilling to hear a grown man seek the power to force a child to give birth,” Hunt said. “We have no exceptions in Tennessee to allow abortions in cases of rape, incest and barely any protections to save a patient’s life. In the worst cases, where a parent rapes a child, that perpetrator will have the power to force their victim to give birth.”&...