Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
TN abortion bill eliminates provision to identify doctors
A controversial Tennessee bill that would have posted online abortion providers? names and potentially identifying information about women obtaining the procedure was stripped of those provisions after its sponsor accused opponents of spreading lies about the bill, slandering his reputation and inciting threats of violence against him.
Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, told members of the Legislative Health and Human Service committee that in the interest of protecting women?s health, he would withdraw those provisions. The bill that now is moving forward includes only its original provision to require doctors performing abortions to have admitting priviledges at area hospitals.
The original bill had ?represented the majority of Tennesseans ? people who are supportive of the culture of life,? Hill said. He said opponents were ?spreading lies about me and this bill. Their categorization of me as a terrorist, murderer or more has been used by their leftist friends to engender hatred and incite the threat of violence against me.?
?I have referred those threats to the proper authorities,? he said.
Critics of the bill, known as the Life Defense Act of 2012 or HB3808, say the proposal could expose doctors performing abortions to intimidation or violence by requiring the Department of Health to publicly post forms doctors routinely fill out and sign for each abortion. They also say the bill?s requirement that demographic details about a woman obtaining an abortion ? including her age, marital status, race, number of children, and county of residence ? could potentially identify her, particularly if she lives in a small or rural community.
The bill?s proponents, including Tennessee Right to Life, say the bill simply requires the state to make public information they already collect. State Sen. Mae Beavers, a Republican from Mount Juliet, is a co-sponsor.
