A three-judge panel has ruled that Tennessee cannot discipline doctors who provide emergency abortions to protect the life of the mother while a lawsuit challenging the state’s sweeping abortion ban continues.

A three-judge panel on Thursday ruled that Tennessee doctors who provide emergency abortions to protect the life of the mother cannot have their medical licenses revoked or face other disciplinary actions while a lawsuit challenging the state’s sweeping abortion ban continues.

The ruling also outlined specific pregnancy-related conditions that would now qualify as “medical necessity exceptions” under the ban, which currently does not include exceptions for fetal anomalies or for victims of rape or incest.

“This lack of clarity is evidenced by the confusion and lack of consensus within the Tennessee medical community on the circumstances requiring necessary health- and life-saving abortion care,” the ruling stated. “The evidence presented underscores how serious, difficult, and complex these issues are and raises significant questions as to whether the medical necessity exception is sufficiently narrow to serve a compelling state interest.”

  • Nastybutler@lemmy.world
    2·
    1 month ago

    Why would this be any different than how it was before Roe was overturned? They were doing the same thing then as what they’re now allowed to do again because of this current ruling.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 month ago

      Because it was a lost culture war issue then, now they’re the winners and everyone who disagrees with them is on the weak side.

      That’s like saying “why would black people do worse in the south once reconstruction was ended, they still had the amendments?”, which is true, but basically meaningless in reality, you’ve made it clear you can’t enforce anything.

      These people now know that if they do commit vigilantism, it will go through local and state courts, probably be upheld under some excuse that they were “protecting life”, and finally if it got to SCoTUS potentially pass because of Dobbs.