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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in a lawsuit challenging a restrictive Tennessee law making it a crime for adults to help minors seek reproductive health care outside of Tennessee due to that state’s near-total abortion ban.
In the amicus brief, Raoul and the coalition argue that Tennessee’s law not only endangers the health of minors from Tennessee but also threatens the ability of other states’ medical providers and residents to help them access lawful abortion care outside of Tennessee’s borders. Tennessee bans abortion in nearly all cases, with no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.
“States across the nation continue to implement draconian bans on reproductive health care, endangering the lives of pregnant women to advance an extreme ideological agenda,” Raoul said. “Illinois proudly remains an oasis for women seeking reproductive health care across the nation, and I will continue to challenge any actions that attempt to curtail access to lawful health care in Illinois and across the country.”
In their amicus brief, Raoul and the coalition urge the court of appeals to affirm the lower court’s order enjoining part of the Tennessee law and argue that states cannot prevent individuals from accessing legal abortion care in other states or sharing information about such care. Tennessee’s abortion laws, among the most restrictive in the country, have resulted in significant increases in Tennessee patients traveling to other states for timely medical care. In Illinois, the right to choose an abortion is a fundamental right, including for individuals who are under 18 years of age.
The brief is the latest in Raoul’s efforts to oppose restrictive abortion laws that seek to punish individuals and organizations who help women access lawful reproductive care in other states. In July 2023, Raoul joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s restrictive law criminalizing adults assisting minors travel outside of Idaho for abortion care. In April 2023, Raoul joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general to file an amicus brief supporting Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, challenging a law that had been interpreted to prohibit providers from making out-of-state referrals for abortion care.
Joining Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
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