Tennessee is appealing an order by a federal judge that permanently blocked a portion of state law that made it a crime to help minors obtain an out-of-state abortion.
The so-called 2024 “abortion trafficking of a minor” law created a misdemeanor offense for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor” for an abortion or to obtain abortion-inducing drugs for a minor. The law does not apply to parents, guardians and those with their written permission.
The law was challenged in July 2024 by state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat and social worker, who has publicly advocated for abortion rights, and Rachel Welty, a Nashville attorney who describes herself as an “advocate for safe and healthy access to abortion care.”
In July, Senior United States Circuit Judge Julia Gibbons issued a decision permanently enjoining the recruitment portion of the law. Gibbons concluded it was a clear violation of First Amendment rights, noting in her decision that the law criminalizes only one side of speech about abortion.
Tennessee is appealing an order by a federal judge that permanently blocked a portion of state law that made it a crime to help minors obtain an out-of-state abortion.
The so-called 2024 “abortion trafficking of a minor” law created a misdemeanor offense for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor” for an abortion or to obtain abortion-inducing drugs for a minor. The law does not apply to parents, guardians and those with their written permission.
The law was challenged in July 2024 by state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat and social worker, who has publicly advocated for abortion rights, and Rachel Welty, a Nashville attorney who describes herself as an “advocate for safe and healthy access to abortion care.”
In July, Senior United States Circuit Judge Julia Gibbons issued a decision permanently enjoining the recruitment portion of the law. Gibbons concluded it was a clear violation of First Amendment rights, noting in her decision that the law criminalizes only one side of speech about abortion.
This story was originally published by the Tennessee Lookout.
