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By Jennifer Weiss-Wolf | Abortion restrictions are never only about obtaining abortion care. Bans on gender-affirming care or bathroom access are never just an attempt to discriminate against trans people. One thing is certain: These kinds of laws double as an affront to democracy.
A breaking story out of Tennessee makes this abundantly clear. TN Repro News reported on a Jonesborough town hall, where a pregnant woman stood up and shared that she was denied prenatal care because she is unmarried. (For the record, the patient has been with her partner for 15 years and they have a 13-year-old child.) In an exclusive interview by reporter Rachel Wells, the woman—who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation—shared that their family’s home is “lovingly referred to … as the ‘hangout house,’ where her kid’s friends regularly come to hang out, play games and make art.”
… Not that any of that should matter. But wow.
This is the first reported case of a woman being denied prenatal care for being unmarried in the state of Tennessee and the country. And it is the direct result of the state’s 2025 Medical Ethics Defense Act, which went into effect in April. The law enables physicians, nurses, hospitals and insurers to invoke religious, moral or ethical objections to the provision of care and treatment, with no legal requirement to provide patients with a referral or alternative. (Click here to read more) |
