Tennessee Rep. Gino Bulso (R- Brentwood) introduced a bill to penalize illegal abortion pills in the state, strengthening its pro-life policies.
The legislation, called the “Unborn Child Protection Act,” would make those sending abortion pills into the state liable for up to $5 million if the pill led to the death of an unborn baby.
“A person or entity, including, but not limited to, a manufacturer, distributor, seller, or reseller, of an abortion-inducing drug shall not mail or deliver an abortion-inducing drug into this state,” the bill says. “Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, a person or entity who mails or delivers an abortion-inducing drug into this state and the mailing or delivery results in the death of an unborn child is strictly liable in the amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000) in damages for the death of the unborn child.”
Bulso told The Tennessean that he learned of “some young ladies in Tennessee who had ordered and received abortion pills through the mail,” explaining that he “began thinking about what else we might be able to do, both to deter folks from breaking the law and to provide a civil remedy to the family of an unborn child who’s killed because abortion pills were illegally sent into the state.”
“It’s broader than just exposing manufacturers and distributors to liability,” he said. “It imposes liability on any person or company who actually sends abortion pills or delivers abortion pills into the state for the purpose of killing an unborn child.”
A survey released earlier this year revealed that by the end of 2023, around 8,000 women per month received abortion pills by mail in states with significant pro-life protections.
