### Tennessee Ruling Shields Doctors from Disciplinary Actions Over Emergency Abortions

A significant legal development in Nashville has determined that Tennessee doctors conducting emergency abortions to save the life of a pregnant woman will not risk losing their medical licenses or face disciplinary actions amid ongoing litigation against the state's stringent abortion ban. The accompanying ruling, issued by a three-judge panel on Thursday, also clarified which pregnancy-related conditions qualify for "medical necessity exceptions" under the ban.

The Tennessee abortion law, effective since 2022, originally only made exceptions for ectopic or molar pregnancies and permitted physicians to use their "reasonable medical judgement" to prevent the death of a pregnant woman or substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. However, the recent judicial ruling expanded these exemptions to include specific conditions such as premature rupture of the amniotic sac, inevitable abortions, certain fatal fetal diagnoses, severe preeclampsia, mirror syndrome associated with fetal hydrops, uterine rupture risk, and potential loss of fertility.

The lawsuit prompting this decision was initiated by patients and physicians who sought to clarify which situations legally warrant an abortion under Tennessee law. Among the plaintiffs was Rebecca Milner, who experienced a traumatic ordeal after discovering that her pregnancy was no longer viable at 20 weeks. Milner was compelled to travel to Virginia for the necessary abortion procedure, subsequently contracting an infection due to the delay.

While the ruling marks a victory for reproductive rights advocates who have criticized the state law's vagueness, it stops short of nullifying criminal statutes linked to the ban. Thus, despite being shielded from discipline by medical boards, doctors still face potential felony charges, carrying sentences up to 15 years if found in violation of the law.

Tennessee's attorneys had countered the lawsuit by arguing that the medical community wanted immunity from review, claiming that their law already permitted necessary interventions to protect maternal health. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti emphasized that the ruling aligns with the state’s stance that life-saving care should be available.

This legal battle in Tennessee mirrors several others in Republican-led states following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. The Center for Reproductive Rights, representing the affected women and doctors, continues to challenge the broad and ambiguous nature of these sweeping bans, advocating for clearer guidelines to protect both medical professionals and patients.