Narrow abortion exemption bill passed by Tennessee lawmakers

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A bill that would add a narrow exemption to one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. is on its way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his approval. Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Senate approved the bill Wednesday on a 26-1 vote. Several of the chamber’s Democratic lawmakers voted “present” instead of picking a side. Under the bill, doctors would be allowed to use “reasonable medical judgment” when determining an abortion is necessary to prevent the death of or severe harm to a pregnant patient. The bill’s passage comes after weeks of drastically reworking the proposal in order to gain the Republican supermajority’s approval and the state’s anti-abortion lobby.