Peter Oslanec via Unsplash

A Tennessee law that requires women seeking an abortion to undergo a 48-hour waiting period will remain in effect, the state’s Attorney General has announced.

Live Action reports:

The news came after the clock expired on any chance for abortion advocates to appeal the August ruling of the full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which determined that the state could enforce the law.

The six-year battle began in 2015 when the state passed its law requiring that all women seeking an abortion undergo a 48-hour waiting period. Abortion advocates contested the law in court, claiming that it provided an undue burden on women seeking abortions. After going back and forth in the courts, the court of appeals ruled in August that the law could stand, saying “Tennessee’s 48-hour abortion waiting period is facially constitutional. The law is supported by a rational basis, and is not a substantial obstacle to abortion for a large fraction of women seeking previability abortions in Tennessee.”

Abortion is a serious undertaking that comes with a number of risks. Much in the same way that a doctor meets with a patient days or weeks before any surgical procedure that isn’t an emergency, this waiting time gives the woman a chance to meet with her doctor beforehand so that she can discuss the abortion procedure and is fully informed of the risks. This isn’t an undue burden — it ensures that women are fully informed before making such a life-altering decision.

Tennessee’s Attorney General Herbert Slatery put out a statement Friday announcing that the fight was over and again thanking the court for upholding the law. “We are grateful that the Court recognized the validity of a law passed by the people’s representatives and did not substitute its own judgment for the policy decision made by the legislature and the Governor,” he wrote.

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John
John
2 years ago

I have never understood the thought process of so many people in this matter.
This is the single point where “Equal Justice under LAW” does not exist.
A woman looses her baby as a direct result of an auto accident, the at fault can be charged
for the death of the unborn child.While a Doctor(I use the term very loosely) performing an abortion gets PAID to terminate(KILL) for his action.
So much for the OATH they take to “first do no HARM”. Is it possible that killing a baby is not the same as doing HARM??