Tennessee criminalizes abortion via telehealth

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed a bill into law making it a felony to provide abortion via telehealth, punishable with a fine of up to $50,000. The law will go into effect in 2023 and adds criminal penalties for physicians who fail to be physically present when providing medication for abortion. This follows a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion suggesting that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, prompting several states to enact “trigger laws” that would ban abortion.