Two Tennessee lawmakers proposed a bill that would allow the father of an unborn child to seek a court injunction to prohibit the mother from getting an abortion.
House Bill 1079 introduced by Rep. Jerry Sexton passed on first consideration and Senate Bill 494 introduced by Sen. Mark Pody was passed on second consideration Thursday.
The proposed legislation states, “a person may petition a court with jurisdiction over domestic relations matters to request an injunction to prohibit a woman who is pregnant with the person’s unborn child from obtaining an abortion.”
The bill would require that within 14 days of filing an injunction, the man prove to a court that he is the biological father and prove there is reasonable probability that the woman would get an abortion.
If the woman violates the injunction by getting an abortion, she could be held in civil or criminal contempt, under the proposed legislation.
