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Lawmaker introduces bill to create civil cause of action over out-of-state abortion pills
Summary
A Lawmaker told the House Health Full Committee that House Bill 5 would allow families of unborn children allegedly killed by out-of-state suppliers who send abortion-inducing drugs into Tennessee to bring civil claims; the committee heard testimony and agreed to roll the bill three weeks.
A Lawmaker told the House Health Full Committee that House Bill 5 would create a civil cause of action for the family of an unborn child allegedly killed when out-of-state suppliers send abortion-inducing drugs into Tennessee.
"And that's why this this legislation is so necessary right now," the Lawmaker said, urging the committee to consider the measure at a later date.
The Lawmaker described the bill during a brief committee appearance, linking it to data he said came from the Society of Family Planning in Tennessee and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said "there are 9,000 abortions a year" caused by actors sending abortion pills into Tennessee illegally, and cited a June 2025 figure of 750; he also referenced CDC data showing 12,178 abortions in Tennessee in 2021. The Lawmaker framed the bill as a way to hold out-of-state suppliers accountable.
Chair recessed the committee briefly to hear testimony from a visiting witness and, after the witness spoke, announced that "House Bill 5 has been rolled 3 weeks," postponing formal committee action. No vote on the bill took place during the session.
Supporters at the hearing framed the proposal as a public-health and accountability measure; no sponsor-provided fiscal notes or legislative text were read into the record during the committee's brief discussion. The committee will return to the item after the three-week roll.
