MYOB 

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OUR BODIES

Advanced Tennessee bill seeks to ban abortion medication at colleges, through mail

Melissa Brown, Nashville Tennessean
Wed, March 2, 2022

Francie Hunt, executive director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, speaks during a demonstration at state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, April 19, 2021.

Tennessee legislators on Tuesday advanced a bill to ban abortion medication distribution through the mail and on college campuses, the latest in a round of similar legislation in the U.S. prompted by federal approval of delivery and telehealth dispensation of the pills.

The legislation, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, seeks to ban mail delivery of abortion medication, an increasingly common method to terminate early-term pregnancies up to 10 weeks.

More than 75% of Tennessee abortions occurred within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2018, according to the most recent available state data. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed medical or chemical abortion as a safe procedure.


Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, first introduced the bill, which would require physicians dispense the two-pill medication in person, blocking patients from receiving it through a qualified nurse or filling a doctor-written prescription at a pharmacy.

The bill would prohibit the medication at postsecondary schools as well, which Tennessee code defines as institutions in the state university and community college system.

“In this state, we have an opportunity to put safety measures around chemical abortion which currently allows the use of telemedicine and courier delivery, as opposed to a qualified examination and direct distribution of powerful medicines," Smith said.

Opponents of the legislation say it is a disingenuous attempt to further restrict access to safe abortion procedures in Tennessee, as abortion medication is taken over a 48-hour period and the bill simply requires in-person dispensation.

Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, voted against the legislation, calling it "arbitrary and unnecessary" when the bill doesn't require doctors to monitor women through the procedure. Akbari also criticized the postsecondary schools component, saying there is "no rationale" for placing additional restrictions on college students who are legal adults.

"The doctor is not going to monitor the woman as she takes the medication, she does not even have to start taking the medication at the office," Akbari said.

"You have women and families who are making a very difficult decision, and all this does is to make it more difficult to make this decision. I think women deserve the same freedom as men when it comes to accessing safe and legal medications," Akbari said, calling for a greater focus on comprehensive sexual education and expanding health coverage to address unplanned pregnancies. "There is evidence to suggest that these pills are less dangerous and have less incidents than Tylenol or Viagra."

Medical abortion Q&A: Are abortion pills safe? Can I get out-of-state prescription? Your questions answered

More: FDA makes abortion pills permanently available through mail and telehealth by removing in-person restriction

Bill calls for penalties

The legislation initially required physicians to keep detailed reports on patients who seek medical care for abortion complications and called for possible jail time for physicians who failed to follow the proposed statute, which one Nashville doctor said could have a dangerous chilling effect on women seeking care after miscarriages and abortions.

A Senate amendment to the bill struck the reporting requirements and jail time penalties, though the legislation maintains violation of the proposed law would be classified as a felony and liable for up to $50,000. Patients who receive the prescription medication are protected under the proposed bill.

Nashville emergency medicine physician Dr. Katrina Green this week spoke against the legislation, particularly any reporting requirements that could intimidate women seeking medical care for chemical abortions and miscarriages, medically referred to as spontaneous abortions. The two are often indistinguishable, Green said.

"I'm a firm believer in my patient's rights to decide what's best for them," Green said. "Part of that is having the ability to decide what happens with their pregnancies."

The FDA won't allow you to get the abortion pill from a pharmacy with a prescription. The coronavirus pandemic has made it even harder to access.

When asked about physician concern over the possible chilling effect of this legislation for women seeking medical care after an abortion or miscarriage, Smith said the legislation is "advocating for patient safety."

"What this bill simply does is it to establish protections for patients who, according to Planned Parenthood, could pass blood clots the size of a lemon as part of this chemical abortion," Smith said.

The Tennessee legislation mirrors a raft of similar anti-abortion measures brought across the U.S. in recent months after the Food and Drug Administration last year approved delivery and telehealth dispensation of the medication. Georgia legislators this week advanced a similar ban on women receiving the abortion bill through the mail or at universities that receiving state funds, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Reach Melissa Brown at mabrown@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee abortion legislation would ban abortion pills at college, in mail