State Bans Abortions for Babies With Down syndrome

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced that he will sign a bill banning abortions at the detection of a heartbeat, which is around six weeks into the pregnancy.

The state’s Legislature passed the abortion bill backed by the Republican governor and opposed by Democrats as budget negotiations stalled after midnight, FOX 17 reports.

We have passed the strongest pro-life law in our state’s history and I am grateful to @ltgovmcnally, @CSexton25, @SenJohnson, @WilliamLamberth and members of our General Assembly for making the heartbeat bill law.

— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) June 19, 2020

. . .The bill requires an ultrasound to be conducted before an abortion and would prohibit physicians to perform an abortion based on “sex, race or disability diagnosis of the unborn child.”

While there is an exception for medical emergencies, there are no exceptions in the bill for women who are victims of rape or incest. Both sides claim they are protecting the health of mothers.

Though critics said it won’t hold up in court, Lee claimed it was “enhanced” to be more likely to survive due to its “ladder” provision, similar to the Missouri bill, “of sequential abortion prohibitions at two-week gestational age intervals, along with severability clauses for each step of the ladder.” (Read more from “State Bans Abortions for Babies With Down syndrome” HERE)

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