UPDATE, AUGUST 10: FEDERAL JUDGE LIFTS TEMPORARY INJUNCTION AGAINST ENFORCEMENT OF INSPECTION AND LICENSURE OF 3 ABORTION FACILITIES
Federal Judge Kevin Sharp conditionally lifted a temporary restraining order that had stopped the state from enforcing the new abortion law. "There is no indication either of the district attorneys (in Bristol or Nashville) are intending to prosecute." Steven Hart, Special Counsel, Office of the TN Attorney General. (arguing against continued injunction.) So who is going to demand enforcement of the inspection and licensure law supported by a majority of Tennessee voters and their elected representatives? Click here for The Tennessean article....
UPDATE, AUG 13: Federal Judge Kevin Sharp issues an injunction barring district attorneys in Davidson(Nashville) and Sullivan(Bristol) Counties from enforcing the new law that requires that abortion facilities performing 50 or more surgical abortions annually be licensed and inspected by the TN Dept. of Health.
UPDATE, JULY 22: Tennessee Right to Life joined with other state-based medical and advocacy organizations to file an Amicus Brief supporting Tennessee's ban on doctor-assisted suicide. Click here to learn more....
UPDATE, JULY 9: FEDERAL JUDGE EXTENDS TEMPORARY INJUNCTION AGAINST ENFORCEMENT OF INSPECTION AND LICENSURE OF 3 ABORTION FACILITIES Click here to learn more....
Judges in Tennessee Prepare to Take Up Abortion, Doctor-Assisted Suicide Cases
Lawsuits against pro-life protections target state laws on abortion, ban on assisted suicide
Later this week, state and federal court judges in Nashville will take up cases with grave implications for the protection of human life in Tennessee.
On Thursday morning, Chief District Judge Kevin Sharp will hear arguments by owner-operators of abortion facilities claiming "irreparable harm" by enforcement of several pro-life statutes including informed consent and 48-hour waiting period for women and girls considering abortion, requirement that abortion facilities be inspected and licensed by the TN Department of Health and a 2012 law mandating that abortion providers hold admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
Already, Judge Sharp has indicated sympathy for the plaintiffs and placed an emergency restraining order on enforcement of the licensure and inspection requirement for two facilities owned and operated in Bristol and Nashville by Drs. Wesley Adams and Gary Boyle.
The hearing on the lawsuit seeking an injunction against the above pro-life laws has been scheduled for 9 a.m. (CDT), Thursday, July 9, in Judge Sharp's courtroom, Room 820, U.S. District Courthouse, 801 Broadway 800, Nashville, TN 37203.
On Friday morning, Davidson County Chancellor Carol McCoy will hear arguments by proponents of doctor-assisted suicide who claim the state's ban on the practice violates fundamental privacy rights in the Tennessee Constitution. The lawsuit is brought byJohn Jay Hooker and seeks to overturn the 1993 state law which largely mirrors the policies of nearly 40 other states which similarly protect the lives of the elderly, disabled, and sick.
The hearing on Hooker's lawsuit will be taken up at 9 a.m. (CDT), Friday, July 10, in Chancellor McCoy's courtroom on the 4th floor of the Davidson County Court House, 1 Public Square, Nashville, TN 37201.
"Almighty God, first law giver and final judge, you have made man in your image with the power to know Your laws and to fashion others of his own. Pour into our minds, we pray, the Spirit of Your wisdom and your justice, so that our counsel may be wise, our judgment just and our dealings in human jurisprudence will ever reflect the plan of your eternal law. Amen."