The Tennessee State Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would impose criminal penalties for adults who provide transportation to minors seeking to circumvent the state’s abortion laws.
SB 1971 passed with 26 votes in favor and just three votes against. If passed by the House and signed by the governor, the legislation would create the criminal offense of abortion trafficking of a minor.
The legislation specifically seeks to make it a crime for an adult who “recruits, harbors, or transports” a pregnant minor for the purpose of aborting the unborn child.
State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville), who sponsored the House version of the legislation, previously told The Tennessee Star his bill was about protecting children and parents.
“This legislation has been drafted to address challenges to similar proposals in other states but most importantly, it will protect vulnerable unemancipated minors from those who wish to facilitate the abortion of the minor’s baby without the guardian or parent’s knowledge,” said Zachary in January.
He also told The Star, “Tennessee has the strongest pro-life law in the country. We have saved over 10,000 babies since this law has been enacted.” He said the law was necessary because, “There are those who are trying to find ways [to] circumvent the law in an effort to facilitate abortions for minors.”
In February, Zachary (pictured above, right) offered to debate California Governor Gavin Newsom after the Democrat called the Tennessee bill an example of Republican “cruelty” in an advertisement released by his political action committee.
“Republicans in Tennessee are trying to punish young women that travel to receive care,” claimed Newsom in reference to an ad that showed a pregnant woman shackled to a hospital bed.
Zachary wrote that Newsom “continues to deceive and gaslight.” He noted the bill only “prohibits an adult who is not the parent/guardian of a minor from facilitating an abortion for that minor without the parent’s consent.”
He continued, “The bill doesn’t prohibit providing healthcare to any pregnant woman, period. There are zero criminal penalties against any pregnant minor young lady/woman.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gavin Newsom” by California Governor. Photo “Jason Zachary” by Jason Zachary.
