Court lets Tennessee 6-week abortion ban take effect

By JONATHAN MATTISE and KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal court has allowed Tennessee’s ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect, days after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion rights case. The action by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes before Tennessee’s other abortion ban, the so-called trigger ban, is set to restrict abortion almost entirely within coming weeks. Both measures would make performing an abortion a felony and subject doctors to up to 15 years in prison if convicted. State Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed an emergency motion Friday to allow the state to begin implementing the six-week ban.