ACLU-Tennessee calls on residents to voice opposition in fetal heartbeat bill hearings

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) is calling on Tennesseans to attend a public hearing on the proposed fetal heartbeat bill.

First proposed by Rep. James (Micah) Van Huss (R-Jonesborough), HB0077 requires fetal heartbeat testing to be conducted prior to an abortion. If a heartbeat is detected, an abortion could not be performed except for certain circumstances.

The bill passed in the Tennessee House last session but stalled in the Senate and was sent to summer study and a public hearing. That hearing is scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday (Aug 12,13) at the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville.

The ACLU-TN says such laws effectively ban abortions and "drastically limits the constitutional right to make our own medical decisions and places an undue burden on a person seeking legal and safe reproductive care."

In an effort to make the voices of those who oppose the legislation heard, the ACLU-TN states they will provide buses for residents of Memphis and Knoxville to be bused into Nashville for the hearings.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has previously stated he supports banning an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The sentiment was echoed by then House Speaker Glen Casada and Senate Speaker Randy McNally.

However, the bill -as with similar bills in other states, could face legal hurdles. In 2017, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued an opinion stating a heartbeat provision is constitutionally suspect because similar laws had been struck down in federal courts.