Two Tennessee lawmakers have filed a bill looking to restrict abortions causing polarizing reactions in the Mid-State.
On Wednesday, Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver filed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Following Weaver's bill, Republican lawmaker Micah Van Huss filed another abortion bill known as the heartbeat bill.
The bill would ban abortions once a heartbeat is detected, which is generally around six weeks after a pregnancy. It would also require testing prior to abortions.
Jeff Teague, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Mid and Eastern Tennessee, called the latest bill harsh and limits women's rights even more.
"We have a lot of people who are very angry and very upset and one of the things that we're telling them is turn your anger into activism," Teague said.
"Neither of these bills are designed to do anything to improve the safety of abortion and protect women. They're simply designed to make it more difficult for women to access safe legal abortion," he said.
But there are people in the state who favor the bills.
"I fully support it, if there's a heartbeat it's living," Lacey Buchanan of Woodbury said.
Buchanan belongs to the organization Heart of Tennessee Pro-life. The mother of two provides resources for pregnant women.
"We just feel that there are better options for women than abortion. We love these women and we love their children too and it's about the health and well-being of these women, it's about the health and well-being of the children in the womb as well,"she said.
As lawmakers continue to file bills -- both Buchanan and Teague want supporters and opponents to call state representatives and be heard.
