SB1189 • 2026

Abortion

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to abortion.

Abortion Healthcare

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Akbari, Johnson
Last action: 2025-02-12
Official status: Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included claims that were not supported by the official source material, such as protecting women's rights. The summary focuses on what is explicitly stated in the bill text.

Abortion Rights Act

This bill changes Tennessee's laws about abortion and reproductive health care.

What This Bill Does

Removes existing provisions regarding criminal abortions in Tennessee.
Gives every person the right to make decisions about their own reproductive health, including using or refusing contraception.
Allows a pregnant woman to have an abortion before viability of the fetus or when necessary to protect her life or health.
States that a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under Tennessee law.

Who It Names or Affects

Pregnant women in Tennessee
Health care providers in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Viability: The point during pregnancy when a fetus can survive outside the womb with medical help.
Reproductive health care: Medical services related to reproduction, including birth control and abortion.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify what happens after the bill becomes law.
The exact impact on current laws is unclear without further details.

Bill History

2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Failed in s/c Population Health Subcommittee of Health Committee
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Population Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2025
2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Population Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2025
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Population Health Subcommittee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Health Committee
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill removes
the present law provisions regarding criminal abortion and, instead, provides the following:



Every person has a fundamental right to make decisions about the person's reproductive health care, including the fundamental right to use or refuse contraception.



A pregnant woman has a fundamental right to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion before viability of the fetus or when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman and to make decisions about how to exercise that right.



A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of this state.



This state or a department, agency, entity, or political subdivision of this state shall not deny, restrict, interfere with, or discriminate against a person's fundamental rights as described in
this bill
in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 1217
By Johnson

SENATE BILL 1189
By Akbari

SB1189
001252
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39;
Title 63 and Title 68, relative to abortion.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-15-213, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Abortion" means the use of an instrument, medicine, drug, or another
substance or device with intent to terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to
be pregnant with intent other than to increase the probability of a live birth, to
preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, to remove a dead fetus, or
to treat an ectopic pregnancy or fetal anomaly not consistent with life;
(2) "Pregnancy" means the human reproductive process, beginning with
the implantation of an embryo;
(3) "Reproductive health care" means health care and other medical
services related to the reproductive processes, functions, and systems at all
stages of life and includes, but is not limited to, family planning and contraceptive
care; abortion care; prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care; fertility care;
sterilization services; and treatments for sexually transmitted infections and
reproductive cancers; and
(4) "Viability" means the point in a pregnancy when, in the good faith
medical judgment of a physician, based on the particular facts of the case before

- 2 - 001252

that physician, there is a reasonable likelihood of the fetus's sustained survival
outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.
(b)
(1) Every person has a fundamental right to make decisions about the
person's reproductive health care, including the fundamental right to use or
refuse contraception.
(2) A pregnant woman has a fundamental right to continue a pregnancy
and give birth or to have an abortion before viability of the fetus or when
necessary to protect the life or health of the woman and to make decisions about
how to exercise that right.
(3) A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or
derivative rights under the laws of this state.
(c) This state or a department, agency, entity, or political subdivision of this state
shall not deny, restrict, interfere with, or discriminate against a person's fundamental
rights as described in subsection (b) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities,
services, or information.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.