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New Laws Include 48-Hour Waiting Period For Abortion

Posted at 9:46 AM, Jun 30, 2015
and last updated 2015-07-09 00:20:56-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A new Tennessee law that requires a 48-hour waiting period before an abortion is one of many new laws taking effect on July 1.

The abortion measure passed during the recent legislative session affects all seven of the state's abortion clinics. Another measure will require abortion facilities performing more than 50 abortions a year be held to the same health and safety standards as other out-patient surgical facilities.

Hedy Weinberg is executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee. Her group is among those against the laws because she says they interfere with a woman's ability to make private health care decisions.

Other new laws include a measure to crackdown on human trafficking in Tennessee, and initiatives created by Gov. Bill Haslam to encourage Tennesseans to get a postsecondary education.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)