The law, set to take effect July 1, is the first since Idaho’s version briefly took effect last spring, only to be blocked in court months later.Navigating abortion access is especially difficult for minors as they face incessant logistical barriers, including parental consent laws in neighboring states where abortion is legal.
Experts have warned that this “abortion trafficking” law carries disparate harm for underage sexual abuse victims or minors who lack trusted parents or guardians and may live in abusive homes. Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, has previouslythe law for endangering young people living in abusive households: “Most minors involve a parent in their decision to get an abortion.
Briana Perry, interim executive director of Healthy and Free Tennessee, told Jezebel last month that the “abortion trafficking” bill carries “particular danger for queer and trans kids,” who areThe success of the “abortion trafficking” bill in Tennessee comes as anti-abortion activists and lawmakers continue to experiment with new ways to stop people from helping people travel out-of-state.
The Tennessee law, like lawsuits in Texas, is meant to create a “culture of fear and isolation” and force people—in this case, young people—“to be pregnant against their will, push their desires for the future out-of-reach, and deprive them of their health,” Goldberg previously told Jezebel.reporters that her Planned Parenthood chapter is in “consultation with our lawyers about how to comply with the law if we need to comply with it or whether we can challenge the law.