Know Your Rights | TN-9 Reproductive Health Resources
Tennessee
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortion laws and access to care vary substantially from state to state. Tennessee lawmakers have taken steps to restrict abortion rights and access during that time.
As we face an unprecedented reproductive health care crisis nationwide, I recognize that abortion care is health care. Reproductive rights are human rights, and all Tennesseans deserve the freedom to make their own medical decisions – including about abortion.
Know Your Rights & Access Care
On a national, state, and local level, you have rights, and you have options for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care. Do you have questions about those rights and options? See the relevant resources below.
Federal: Biden Administration
National Rights & Resources
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Justice Reproductive Rights Task Force Information HERE
- Department of Education Title IX Fact Sheet HERE
- Department of Defense
- Military Health System
- Office Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
- Updated Reproductive Care Policies HERE
- Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
- Updated Assisted Reproductive Services Policies HERE
- Department of Veterans Affairs Reproductive Health Information HERE
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Pregnancy Discrimination Information HERE
- Department of Homeland Security
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Medical Care Standards HERE
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Reproductive Health Care Coverage
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Office of Secretary Xavier Becerra
- HHS, Labor, & Treasury Joint Guidance on Birth Control Coverage HERE
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Department of Defense
- Defense Health Agency
- TRICARE Reproductive Health Coverage Policies HERE
- Defense Health Agency
- Health Insurance Marketplace
- Department of Labor
- Employer-Based Health Benefits ‘Ask EBSA’ Hotline Information HERE
- Office of Secretary Xavier Becerra
Family Planning Resources
- Department of Health and Human Services
Family Planning Resources
- Department of Health and Human Services
Educational Resources
Department of Health and Human Services
Tennessee State Agencies
NOTE: Most abortions are now illegal in Tennessee. Some family planning and other reproductive health care resources are still available (outlined below), but many state resources are biased against abortion, use inaccurate and stigmatized language, and even encourage the spread of anti-abortion pressure and disinformation. Please also be aware and vigilant as you use the resources below that biased, anti-abortion so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” masquerading as legitimate health care clinics, are rampant in our state and empowered by some state leaders. None of this changes the fact that you are entitled to make your own medical decisions, including about abortion, free from judgment. You deserve access to accurate information and quality care as you make that decision. If you have concerns or questions about any of the state resources, please reach out to our district office and a caseworker can assist you and provide you with reliable information.
- TN Department of Health
- County Health Department ServicesHERE
- TennCare
- UT Medical Center Center for Women & Infants HERE
Local Resources:
- Shelby County Health Department HERE
- Tipton County Health Department HERE
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Clinical Care HERE
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Student Health Services HERE
- University of Memphis Student Health Center HERE
- Southwest Tennessee Community College Counseling and Social Services HERE
Government Representatives
Nearest Abortion States
NOTE: Most abortions are now illegal in Tennessee and in many of our neighboring states. This is forcing many Tennesseans to travel long distances to access the procedure. If this applies to you, please see the selection of resources below from a few nearby states where abortion is accessible informing you of your rights and options for accessing care in those states.
- VA Department of Health Selection of Reproductive Health Providers Offering Abortion Services HERE
- IL Office of the Governor CARLA (Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access) Patient Navigation Center HERE
- IL Office of the Attorney General Women’s Rights Information and Hotline HERE
- NC Department of Health and Human Services Reproductive Health Services Information HERE
What Am I Doing
Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus
In the 118th Congress, I am proud to be a member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus (PCC)—a group of over 150 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives committed to advancing reproductive rights, freedom, and justice.
From moving key legislation forward to amplifying the voices of those in TN-09 and around the country demanding action, I consistently stand with my PCC colleagues as we fight for your reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.
You can learn more about PCC HERE.
Legislation
Whether we are in the majority or minority, my colleagues in Congress and I are constantly working to advance bills that safeguard your reproductive rights and access to care, protect your private health care data, and reaffirm U.S. commitment to global health and human rights worldwide, among other key issues. Read more about those initiatives here:
Abortion Rights
The right to abortion is a fundamental right—one that must be safeguarded in federal law. That is why I am a proud original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade and enshrine the national right to abortion into law. I was also proud to sign the Pro-Choice Caucus’ discharge petition, which is only six signatures from forcing a vote on the House Floor on this critical bill, even over GOP leadership objections.
I am a strong supporter of multiple pieces of abortion rights legislation, including the Abortion Justice Act—which articulates a proactive vision for a future with true reproductive freedom for all; the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, to protect the right to travel between states for reproductive health care; the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, to protect abortion providers from retaliatory legal action; the STOP Comstock Act, to repeal parts of existing laws that anti-abortion extremists want to misapply to ban abortion; and the removal of the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment, to enshrine gender equity in the U.S. constitution.
Contraception Rights
You, and only you, have the right to decide whether, how, and when you become a parent. Every person deserves that right—and deserves to have their choice of the birth control method that works best for them, free from political interference. As extreme GOP attacks on contraception are already taking place across the nation, I am proud to stand with 9 in 10 Americans and support the bipartisan Right to Contraception Act. This bill would enshrine the right to contraception into federal law and protect all people who use it from attempts to restrict access to birth control.
Access to Abortion
In addition to protecting the right to abortion, true reproductive freedom means every person has access to the reproductive health care they need, regardless of income, insurance, or zip code. This requires decisive action to abolish harmful and discriminatory restrictions, such as the Hyde Amendment—a policy prohibiting all taxpayer funding for abortion care, blocking abortion care coverage for all those who rely on federal government-sponsored or subsidized health insurance. This predominantly impacts poor women and women of color. While the extreme GOP consistently pushes to codify the racist, classist Hyde Amendment, House Democrats successfully kept it out of the House-passed spending bills multiple years running in previous Congresses. Now, we are working to eliminate it once and for all, which is why I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, to help ensure everybody can access the full spectrum of health care, including abortion care, regardless of their income or the source of their insurance.
Expanding access requires leaving no one behind, and I am proud to support the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act to expand access to the full spectrum of reproductive care, including abortion care, and eliminate barriers for individuals with disabilities.
Other critical abortion access bills my colleagues and I are working to advance in the House include the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act, to support those traveling to access care; the Reproductive Health Care Training Act, to address gaps in abortion training; the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act, to reaffirm the FDA’s authority over medication abortion approval and access; the ACCESS Act, to help clinics expand their abortion care capacity; and the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act, to crack down on anti-abortion so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” which seek to prevent people from accessing, or even accessing information about, abortion care by spreading harmful disinformation.
I also joined multiple amicus briefs to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court to urge our courts to protect access to the safe, effective abortion medication mifepristone and to emergency abortion care.
Access to Family Planning
The vast majority of Americans has used one or more method of contraception in their lifetime—and nearly 4 million people per year utilize family planning services from the federal Title X program. Every person who needs it should be able to access the family planning support and birth control method that works best for them, which is why my colleagues, and I are working to expand access to family planning, including birth control. I am proud to support multiple bills that will help achieve this goal, including the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, to reauthorize and increase investment in Title X; the Affordability is Access Act, to expand insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives; the Enhancing Questions to Understand Intentions for Pregnancy (EQUIP) Act, to advance the pregnancy intention screening tools that prevent unintended pregnancy and improve the likelihood of healthy pregnancies; and the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, to limit copayments for contraception for those utilizing VA health services.
Fertility Care Rights & Access
Every person should have the right to build their family if, when, and how they choose without facing baseless restrictions. Since the Dobbs decision, threats to the future of fertility services like assisted reproductive technology (ART), and particularly in vitro fertilization (IVF), have emerged nationwide. House Democrats stand by your right to IVF and are fighting to preserve your access to the fertility care methods that help thousands of Americans each year build their families. That is why I proudly support the Right to IVF Act to codify the right to fertility care into law and was proud to sign the Pro-Choice Caucus and Democratic Women’s Caucus discharge petition to demand a vote on the House floor on this important bill.
I also support legislation aimed at improving access to care so every American who needs or wants it can access fertility services, including the Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act, to require coverage for treatment of infertility across insurance plans, from the marketplace and employer-sponsored insurance to TRICARE, VHA, and Medicaid.
Data Privacy
Your reproductive health care choices are nobody’s business but yours and your health care provider’s— and that information should never be publicized against your will or weaponized. We need to protect personal reproductive health data, including about abortion, which is why I am proud to support the My Body, My Data Act to create a new national standard for protecting the privacy of personal reproductive and sexual health information and the Reproductive Data Privacy and Protection Act to prevent law enforcement surveillance of private reproductive health care data.
Global Health & Human Rights
The United States is the leading provider of global health assistance in the world, and longstanding, ideologically motivated policies have a shameful history of harming that aid’s effectiveness and our leadership on the world stage. The Global Gag Rule—also known as the Mexico City Policy—has been in effect intermittently for decades, largely under Republican administrations. The version of the rule in place during the previous administration prevents U.S. funds from going to any organizations that not only provide abortion care, but provide information on abortion care, even if U.S. funds are not spent on those services. This forced organizations receiving U.S. global health funding to choose between receiving U.S. resources and providing comprehensive reproductive health care in the best interest of their patients. On top of that, the Helms Amendment continues to bar all U.S. global health assistance from funding abortion care, even in countries where that care is legal. When in place, these policies contribute to a massive burden of unsafe abortions and maternal mortality in the countries they impact, counteracting our global health goals and the health and wellbeing of communities around the world.
While extreme GOP legislators push to codify these and other policies, to curtail human rights and slash global health and family planning funding, I am proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues in support of the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, to repeal the Global Gag rule; the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, to repeal the Helms amendment; the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality (GLOBE) Act, to protect global LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights; and the Support UNFPA Funding Act, to reaffirm our nation’s commitment to the UN’s family planning agency and global gender equality.
Still Need Help?
My offices and team are here to help you and answer your questions.
For assistance with federal agencies, contact my district office HERE.
For questions about federal legislation, contact my Washington, D.C. office HERE.