MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Access to abortion care in Tennessee rapidly declined Tuesday after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction at the request of Attorney General Herbert Slatery.
Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, Ashley Coffield, spoke about the organization’s current services.
“Abortions are banned in Tennessee when an embryo’s cardiac activity can be detected on an ultrasound,” Coffield said. “As a result, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi is being forced to make the difficult decision to suspend providing abortion services.”
Coffield did say that patients were informed of the end to abortions prior to the press conference.
Legislative abortion rights organization, Healthy and Free Tennessee, advocates for aggressive legislation to be pushed for reproductive justice. The organization's reproductive justice fellow, Heather Allison, encourages states to give women the right to choose.
"Reproductive justice basically entails the right to choose if and when to have a child, the right to choose not to have a child and the right to parent that child in safe and healthy communities,” Allison said.
Allison explained that although the abortion ban put in place by the Attorney General’s push for a quicker ban is six weeks, fear may be a reason for Planned Parenthood’s early halting of abortions.
“The way the bill is written, if I had to guess, [Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi is] afraid of criminalization and doesn’t want to be arrested or investigated or undergo any kind of investigation for the abortions that they are providing to try and prove they were done before this six-week window,” Allison said.
Anti-abortion advocate and Chief Executive Officer of Memphis Life Choices, Steven Coplon, calls the allotment of abortion anywhere a tragedy.
“Well, the whole situation is a tragedy,” Coplon said. “I’m from a Jewish background and I have visited concentration camps and when there is a business built upon a culture of death it’s good for it to close.”
Coffield insists that despite some people believing abortion is wrong, patients are still being overlooked.
“Trained healthcare providers now have to deny patients the care they need because of the actions of Governor Lee and other anti-abortion politicians in Tennessee who have taken away the rights we have to control our own bodies and our reproductive healthcare decisions,” Coffield said.
Coplon said the Supreme Court and the Sixth Circuit court made the right decision.
“Now from the perspective of Life Choices, what we’re doing is affirming life and working with women in crisis pregnancies to help them all the way through pregnancy and beyond to live as normal a life as they can and to experience the joy of a child being born,” Coplon said.
Although Planned Parenthood has stopped abortions, it’s locations remain open. Locations in Tennessee will provide birth control, STI treatment, cancer screening, immunizations and gender-affirming care. In terms of abortion care, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi is outsourcing patients.
“Right now, we are leaning into navigating patients to care outside of Tennessee and providing logistical and financial care to patients who need that care.
A big push from abortion rights activists is for those fighting for abortion rights to take to governmental processes and vote out officials who support anti-abortion legislation. Healthy and Free Tennessee works with Tennessee legislators to advance policies and pass legislation each year.
“We were able to pass a doula study bill with Senator London Lamar and we’ve actually worked with her the past few years,” Allison said. “We’ve been able to pass a bill with her every year with regard to prenatal care. Last year it was a resolution recognizing doulas as essential health workers and this year it was a bill asking TennCare in the Department of Health to study doula certification programs to try and advance doula coverage under Medicaid.”
Coffield encourages those seeking an abortion in Tennessee to reach out to Planned Parenthood for resources.
Choices, Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, is still providing abortions in the community and is accepting donations for their new location in Carbondale, Illinois. Abortion is expected to remain legal and accessible in Illinois.