New Reproductive Rights Law Passed in Tennessee
Tennessee has become the first Southern state to pass legislation protecting certain reproductive rights, including the right to contraception and in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Legislative Context and Bipartisan Support
During a legislative session marked by the GOP supermajority’s conservative agenda, Tennessee lawmakers took the unusual bipartisan step to secure these reproductive protections.
"Beginning July 1, Tennessee will become the first — and only — state in the South to have codified the right to access fertility treatments and birth control into state law."
Details of the Legislation
- Introduced by two Republican women.
- Signed into law by Governor Bill Lee.
- Guarantees Tennesseans the right to access IVF and various birth control methods.
- These reproductive health options had not been previously restricted but now have future legal protection.
"The legislation protects Tennesseans’ access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and a range of birth control methods — reproductive health options that have not, in modern times, been restricted in the state but now have safeguards into the future."
Source: Anita Wadhwani, “Tennessee to become first state in South to protect access to IVF, birth control,” tennesseelookout.com
Author's summary: Tennessee has set a precedent in the South by legally safeguarding access to IVF and contraception, marking a rare bipartisan move amid a conservative legislature.