Tennessee Governor Signs Bill To Tighten Abortion Regulations

Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a measure that tightens regulations on some abortion providers in Tennessee.

Senate Bill 1280 requires facilities that provide more than 50 abortions a year to be licensed as “surgical treatment centers.” Four of the state’s seven abortion clinics already meet that requirement, but three do not.

Supporters say the measure will raise standards. Opponents say it forces providers who rarely perform surgical abortions to follow costly and unnecessary rules.

Haslam is still reviewing a proposal to make women wait 48 hours before abortions, as well as an “informed consent” requirement that doctors tell women about abortion alternatives, potential risks and the likelihood that their fetuses could survive outside the womb.