Tennessee’s full abortion ban will go into effect Aug. 25

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Tuesday, the decision overturning Roe v. Wade. That starts the clock on Tennessee’s so-called trigger law.

Attorney General Herbert Slatery says the state’s all-out ban on abortions will go into effect August 25th, now that the Supreme Court’s decision has been finalized. He has now sent a letter to the Tennessee Codes Commission, as required by the trigger law formally known as the Human Life Protection Act.

“As required by State law, I am notifying the Tennessee Code Commission that Roe and Casey have been overturned by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, returning abortion regulation to the states,” Slatery said in a statement.

Already, most abortion providers have stopped offering surgical and medication procedures because of a six-week ban that took effect within days of the Supreme Court opinion being released. The abortion ban that will now take effect next month makes no exception for pregnancies in the first few weeks — only if the life of the mother is in danger.