SB 2582/HB 2779, as amended, would be a total ban on abortion in our state.
This bill allows private citizens to sue their neighbors if they think they have violated this law. It gives a private right of action, and the promise of financial rewards, to any person to sue someone who they suspect has provided an abortion, someone who has simply helped a pregnant person obtain an abortion in the state, or someone who might intend to provide an abortion or help a patient.
This sets a dangerous precedent, pitting neighbor against neighbor – or even anti-abortion activists with no connection to the patient at all – to act as bounty hunters, to invade one another’s privacy by surveilling each other, and to take one another to court.
The goal of this legislation is to ban abortion entirely. It would have a devastating impact for all patients seeking abortion in Tennessee. And, as we know, abortion bans disproportionately impact Black women and other people of color, young people, immigrants, low-income people, and those who live in rural areas.
Urge lawmakers to protect our ability to make deeply personal decisions about whether, when, and how to have children – without political interference.
TAKE ACTION: Tell politicians to stop trying to ban abortion in Tennessee.
