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HB0990 • 2026

Abortion

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 9; Title 29; Title 33; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 53; Title 56; Title 62; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to abortion.

Abortion Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Terry, Briggs
Last action
2025-04-29
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 217
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on enforcement or penalties for breaking these new rules.

Clarifying Serious Risk in Abortion Law

This bill changes Tennessee's abortion laws by defining 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function' to include specific medical conditions that can harm the pregnant woman.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines what 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function' means in Tennessee's abortion law.
  • Includes certain medical conditions like severe preeclampsia or infections that could cause serious health issues for the pregnant woman as part of this definition.
  • Excludes mental health conditions from being considered under this term.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Doctors who perform abortions
  • Pregnant women seeking medical care

Terms To Know

serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function
A condition that can cause severe, permanent harm to the body or health of a pregnant woman.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if someone breaks these new rules.
  • It is unclear how this will affect people's choices about abortion in Tennessee.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0990

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions for 'inevitable abortion' and 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function' to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-15-213(a).

  • Adds the definition of 'inevitable abortion,' which refers to dilation of the cervix before viability due to preterm labor or cervical insufficiency.
  • Includes a detailed definition for 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function' that lists specific medical conditions such as severe preeclampsia, mirror syndrome associated with fetal hydrops, and infections leading to uterine rupture or loss of fertility.
  • The amendment does not specify how these definitions will be applied in practice.
  • It excludes mental health conditions from the definition of 'serious risk.'
Amendment 1-0 to SB1004

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions for 'inevitable abortion' and 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function' to Tennessee law.

  • Adds a definition for 'inevitable abortion,' which refers to the dilation of the cervix before a pregnancy reaches viability, due to preterm labor or cervical insufficiency.
  • Introduces a new term 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function' that includes specific medical conditions like severe preeclampsia and certain infections but excludes mental health conditions.
  • The amendment does not specify how these definitions will be applied or enforced in existing laws.
  • It is unclear what the exact impact of excluding mental health conditions from 'serious risk' would be on current abortion regulations.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 217

  2. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/17/2025

  3. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 217

  4. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  6. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  7. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  9. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  10. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 71, Nays 18, PNV 4

  11. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0255)

  12. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  14. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  15. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  16. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 25, Nays 3, PNV 4

  19. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0218)

  20. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  21. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/7/2025

  23. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 4/1/2025

  26. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  27. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  28. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  30. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025

  32. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  33. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Population Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  34. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Population Health Subcommittee

  35. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1004, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, clarify the term "se
rious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function
" as used in present law provisions relative to criminal abortion. Under such present law, a
person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion commits the offense of criminal abortion
, which
is a Class C felony.
However,
a person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion does not commit
such
offense if the abortion is performed or attempted by a licensed physician in a licensed hospital or ambulatory surgical treatment center and
both of the
following conditions are met:



The physician determined, using reasonable medical judgment, based upon the facts known to the physician at the time, that the abortion was necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman
.



The physician performs or attempts to perform the abortion in the manner which, using reasonable medical judgment, based upon the facts known to the physician at the time, provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless using reasonable medical judgment, termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of death to the pregnant woman or substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.

This amendment defines "se
rious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function
" as
any medically diagnosed condition that so complicates the pregnancy of a woman as to directly or indirectly cause the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function
. Such term may
include previable preterm premature rupture of membranes; inevitable abortion; severe preeclampsia; mirror syndrome associated with fetal hydrops; and an infection that can result in uterine rupture or loss of fertility
. However, the term does not
include any condition related to the woman's mental health
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1004
By Briggs

HOUSE BILL 990
By Terry

HB0990
003086
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 9; Title 29; Title 33; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39;
Title 40; Title 53; Title 56; Title 62; Title 63; Title 68
and Title 71, relative to abortion.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-8-305, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(f) On or before January 1 of each year until the monument is complete, the
state capitol commission shall submit a report to the speaker of the senate and the
speaker of the house of representatives regarding any gifts, grants, or other donations
made toward the monument and the remaining funds needed for the monument.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.