As a pregnant woman living in Tennessee, your options were reduced when the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade law.
It is now illegal in Tennessee to abort an unborn child who has a heartbeat. The Heartbeat Bill protects unborn children at 6 weeks gestational age who have a heartbeat, and it also protects unborn children at 8 weeks gestational age or older.
What does this mean for you? If you are a resident of Tennessee and find that you have an unexpected, untimely, or unwanted pregnancy, abortion may no longer be an option for you in your state.
What can I do?
What can I do? First, it is important to understand Roe v. Wade and the laws of Tennessee.
Roe v. Wade was a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled abortion was a right protected by our Constitution, regardless of the laws of Tennessee, or any other state. When this decision was recently overturned, this constitutional right to have an abortion was taken away.
As a pregnant woman with an unexpected, unwanted, or untimely pregnancy, your options now may include:
(1) traveling to a state where an abortion may be possible;
(2) carrying the pregnancy and raising the child either yourself or with the birthfather, or letting the father raise the child;
(3) having a family member or friend raise the child;
(4) placing the child in the Tennessee foster care system; or
(5) consider placing the baby for adoption.
If you are thinking of developing an adoption plan, our agency, Adoption Services (www.adoptionservices.org), can help you. Since 1985, our not-for-profit agency has completed almost 900 successful placements of babies with loving families. Our Agency, or some other adoption agency, can and will help you.
You may find the following links to be helpful:
https://www.adoptionservices.org/unplanned-pregnancy/
https://www.adoptionservices.org/abortion-alternatives/
Please consider all your options and give me, Dr. Berger*, a call or click on the Contact Us button to send me an email. I will be glad to help you. There is never any cost or obligation on your part.
* Note: I am a Ph.D. Psychologist, not an attorney. When it comes to the current law and legal issues, make sure to check with an attorney in Tennessee.