Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined 20 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief opposing a Tennessee law that criminalizes helping minors seek reproductive health care outside the state, arguing that it infringes on constitutional rights and impacts access to legal medical care in other states.
Per the news release distributed on Friday, April 11: “Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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 its brief, the coalition argues 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.
“Tennessee’s law is an unconstitutional attempt to criminalize legal conduct beyond its borders,” said Attorney General Brown. “Adults have the right to help minors access lawful medical care, including abortion, in states where it is legal. By threatening criminal charges against those who provide assistance or information, Tennessee is not only endangering lives — it is violating fundamental constitutional rights.”
In its brief, the coalition urges 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 providing information about access to 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 filing the brief, Attorney General Brown joins the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.”