Lawyers and doctors in Nashville are trying to spread some advice before abortion becomes illegal in the state on Aug. 25. For starters, they say abortion will actually be illegal in Tennessee — not just inaccessible.
A legal abortion will require traveling to a place like Illinois, where abortion rights are protected. And even then, a medication abortion, which requires a multi-day course of pills, needs to be complete before returning, said Wallace Dietz, the Metro government’s law director.
“If they bring some of the pills back to finish the course of treatment with the pills and they do that in Tennessee, that’s a violation of the law,” he said as part of an informational panel organized by Planned Parenthood and held at the Casa Azafran community center Thursday night.
Abortion medication can be acquired online or even with a trip to Mexico, but Dietz said using it in Tennessee could lead to prosecution.
More: Abortion medication goes underground in Tennessee
As for illicitly acquired pills, Dr. Ellen Clayton, who is a lawyer professor and pediatrician at Vanderbilt, said people should be careful what they search online and don’t post about it. Clayton is a former Planned Parenthood board member.
“You have to be smart,” she said. “I’m telling everybody, do not use Facebook, do not use social media. Just don’t.”
Physicians on the panel say people who have a medication abortion in Tennessee should still go to the emergency room with any complications, like particularly heavy bleeding. Emergency rooms regularly treat miscarriages.
“There is no way for an emergency physician … to tell the difference between a miscarriage and a self-induced abortion,” said Dr. Katrina Green, who works at several emergency departments around Middle Tennessee. “So maybe don’t mention that.”
There are still many questions that can’t be answered, even by experts — like whether a pregnant person really can’t be charged for their role in an abortion under Tennessee’s looming ban or whether offering financial or other types of assistance can be prosecuted. The state’s law doesn’t specifically mention someone who “aides and abets” as a law in Texas does.
Even as Planned Parenthood officials mention websites where abortion medication can be acquired and note that U.S. mail is unlikely to be searched for abortion medication, they say they are not recommending anyone break the law. But they also aren’t discouraging it, especially for those who are trying to help people who need an abortion.
“I don’t mean to scare anybody,” says Francie Hunt, executive director for Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. “I just want you to be open-eyed when you’re brave and bold.”
Update: Dr. Kimberly Looney’s affiliations have been corrected since she is no longer working for Meharry Medical College.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM