Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Tennessee Abortionists: Elective Surgical Abortions Must Be Resumed During Pandemic

Elevating non-essential elective surgical abortions above every other procedure in Tennessee, Federal District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled late Friday that Governor Lee's Executive Order 25 prohibiting non-essential surgeries threatens the so-called abortion right of women in Tennessee.

Abortion profiteers including ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Choices of Memphis, Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, and Dr. Looney joined with the unlicensed Boyle abortion center in Bristol to demand a return of surgical abortions which appeared to have been temporarily halted across the state. However, chemical RU486 abortions had continued unabated and account for roughly 40% of all abortion procedures.

Judge Friedman writes, "Delaying a woman’s access to abortion even by a matter of days can result in her having to undergo a lengthier and more complex procedure that involves progressively greater health risks or can result in her losing the right to obtain an abortion altogether. Therefore, plaintiffs have demonstrated that enforcement of EO-25 causes them irreparable harm."

"In terms of balancing the harm to others, plaintiffs argue convincingly that the irreparable harm they would suffer without injunctive relief, which includes violation of their constitutional rights, “vastly outweigh[s]” any “temporary reduction of PPE” resulting from the enforcement of EO-25."

Even worse, the pro-abortion Judge has indicated a willingness to block the 48 hour waiting period and the state ban on use of telemedicine for dispensing RU486 without a woman being seen by a physician.

Tennessee Right to Life blasted the ruling saying "Churches are closed and other legitimate healthcare services are barred in order to protect the public health. However, surgical abortions which kill unborn children and harm women and families must be allowed according to Judge Friedman, even in the midst of a global pandemic. The public should recognize how radical the pro-abortion movement is in that they put the profit of abortion above every other matter, including risking the lives of abortion workers, legitimate healthcare workers who need PPE and first responders."

"We thank the Attorney General for an excellent defense of the state's position asking for enforcement of the Governor's order barring non-essential surgeries," said Tennessee Right to Life. "State Attorney Alex Rieger was well prepared and did an exceptional job in presenting common sense concerns about conducting surgical abortions during a health crisis."

Rieger argued that the order, which extends through April 30, was designed to protect the state's supplies of PPE during the predicted peak....allowing abortions during that window of time would cause "irreparable harm to Tennessee's authority to protect it's citizens." Tennessee Right to Life joined the judicial teleconference call on Friday morning and applauds Rieger who rightly called abortions "non-urgent procedures that are not emergencies."

Please thank Attorney General Herbert Slatery for defending Governor Lee's common sense order.

Click Here to Visit TN Attorney General Slatery's Website

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