A bill that would make it a misdemeanor offense punishable by just less than a year of imprisonment for assisting in bringing a minor across state lines for an abortion without parental permission reach House committee on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 1971 passed the Senate 26-3 last week with Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, saying its goal is to protect parental rights and prevent other adults from assisting a minor in circumventing Tennessee law in obtaining an abortion.
The offense would be called abortion trafficking and can only be avoided with signed and notarized parental consent.
“In this state we have taken a strong pro-life position on abortion, and this legislation upholds our pro-life, pro-family and pro-parent values,” Rose said. “The bill makes clear that unless a parent approves, another adult cannot take a minor across state lines to receive an abortion.”
