Tennessee Doctors Say Abortion Law Limits Freedom, Harms Patients

Physicians warn new laws could restrict access to reproductive healthcare

A group of Tennessee doctors affiliated with the healthcare advocacy group Protect My Care are speaking out about an amendment Gov. Bill Lee recently signed which creates some narrow exceptions to Tennessee's near-total abortion ban.

Dr. Laura Andreson, an obstetrician/gynecologist practicing in Franklin, explained the potential harms.

“With the Governor’s signature, we have lost the ability to take care of patients with life-threateningg medical issues: cancer, premature rupture of membranes, preeclampsia and hemorrhage during a pre-viable pregnancy. Senator Briggs’ original bill, which was supported by much of the medical community, provided the minimum standards to better support the women and physicians of TN. This bill misses the mark.”

The group pointed to the challenges in receiving reproductive healthcare in the state as a result of recent changes to the law.

Already, more than half of all Tennesseans live in ‘obstetric deserts’ more than an hour away from access to care. Tennessee has a 2020 pregnancy-related mortality ratio of 58.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, representing a 51% increase from 2017-2019. 

“It is not difficult to imagine a Tennessee in the near future where there is no one qualified to provide obstetrical care, driving up maternal and infant mortality and leaving untold suffering in its wake,” concluded Dr. Carolyn Thompson, an obstetrician/gynecologist practicing in Nashville.

“Physicians need to be able to use our good faith medical judgment,” said Dr. Heather Maune, an obstetrician/gynecologist practicing in Nashville, “to provide individualized, patient-centered care. Physicians need to be able to practice ethical, evidence-based medicine, and doctors need to be able act without hesitation to prevent and treat pregnancy complications. We need laws that trust doctors to make the best decision in consultation with their patient – not a lawyer or politician."

Photo bySasun BughdaryanonUnsplash