Disagrees Abortion For Minors Must Be Parents' Permission, US Politician Sues Law In Tennessee

Illustration of pregnant women. (Unsplash-Syeoni)

JAKARTA - Tennessee in the United States (US) prohibits minors from having abortions without parental consent. The rules in the law in the US state have been sued.

The lawsuit was filed by lawmaker Aftyn Behn and US reproductive rights activists on Monday, June 24 local time. They accused the law of being unconstitutional.

"Today two years ago, I vowed to always help and support abortion, not to give up even though Roe v. Wade was canceled, and to keep fighting," said Nashville lawyer Rachel Welty, who filed the lawsuit in a federal court in a statement., June 25.

"I need to defend other lawyers across states who shouldn't be afraid of civil or criminal penalties for spreading information about routine health care [abortions]," continued Welty.

Earlier this year, the government center for Republican-controlled state Tennessee approved a bill banning adults from helping minors who were pregnant to have abortion without permission from their parents or guardians.

Those who heed the rule will be charged with minor Class A offenses, with a maximum penalty of one year in prison.

The law, which came into effect on July 1, does not exclude minors who may have been raped by their parents or guardians.

On the other hand, the rule says that biological fathers who rape minors and cause pregnancy cannot file civil charges.