Republican governor signs law making abortion pills by mail a crime with $50,000 fine

Credit: Getty Images

Governor Bill Lee (TN-R)

Republican governor signs law making abortion pills by mail a crime with $50,000 fine

May 6, 2022 12:22 p.m. PDT

by Rebekah Sager, Kos daily staff

254 112

Please login or register to continue.

The State of Tennessee just took its clocks back to a time before clocks, apparently, like Governor Bill Lee signed a law making it a class E felony with a $50,000 fine for anyone who receives an abortion pill in the mail, the tennessian reports. According to HB 2416, abortion pills can only be given to a patient in a doctor’s office by a doctor. A physician “must examine the patient in person” and “inform the patient that he may see the remains of the unborn child being aborted.” A medical abortion has become the most common method in the United States for terminating early pregnancies up to 10 weeks. According to The New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permanently approved abortion pills by mail and telehealth consultation in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.RELATED STORY: ‘I chose to have an abortion,’ New York AG tells pro-choice protesters: ‘I don’t apologize

The new law states: “A manufacturer, supplier, pharmacy, physician, qualified physician, or other person may not provide abortion-inducing medication by courier, delivery, or postal service.Lee’s signing comes just days after a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion indicating a reversal ruling Roe vs. Wade was leaked to Politico.Christine Pelosi talks about the leaked Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, and what Democrats are doing now, on Daily Kos’ The Brief podcastThe bill further states that all patients receiving abortion pills are required to return for a two-week follow-up visit with the provider. The original bill would have carried a 20-year prison sentence, but has since been amended. One of the bill’s clauses also covers “informed consent counseling services” on “abortion pill reversal,” a myth that has been widely dismissed as false. “Abortion advocates and lawmakers insist that abortion cancellation should be offered to anyone who is pregnant and wants a medical abortion; however, offering this procedure is extremely problematic. Studies supporting this procedure are not supported by an institutional review board or ethical review board, raising concerns for the protection of human subjects in these hormonal experiments,” according to Planned Parenthood.

“Mifepristone alone does not end pregnancies – in fact, up to half of women who take mifepristone alone continue their pregnancies. Therefore, there is no data to support that injecting progesterone is what “reverses” abortions. Forcing doctors to share this information supports the narrative that people often regret their abortions, which is not the reality,” reads the Planned Parenthood website.

In 2019, Tennessee passed a “trigger law” bill banning all abortions in the state 30 days after the Supreme Court overturned it. Roe vs. Wade. Including Tennessee, there are 13 states across the country that have signaled their desire to ban abortions in the same way. Editor’s note: An alternate title mentioned Plan B, which is emergency contraception, not an abortion pill. Alternate title removed. Here is more information about Plan B and its availability.How Plan B works:

Plan B One-Step Emergency Contraception is not an abortion pill. It is a progestin-only emergency contraceptive that helps prevent pregnancy before it begins by temporarily delaying ovulation, or the release of an egg from the ovary. It will not affect an existing pregnancy and it will not be effective if a woman is already pregnant.

Availability of Package B:

Availability and access to Plan B One-Step is regulated nationwide by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Plan B is in no way related to the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade. Plan B is currently available over-the-counter nationwide and will continue to be available at all major retailers without a prescription, ID, or age restriction.

Republican governor signs law making abortion pills by mail a crime with $50,000 fine

Related Posts