NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee abortion providers are asking a federal judge to order that abortions can go forward despite an executive order from Gov. Bill Lee aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus.
Their lawyers argue in a motion filed Monday night that Lee's order blocking non-emergency health care procedures should not apply to abortions. They say it imposes “extreme burdens” by potentially forcing women to travel out of state during a pandemic or wait weeks for an abortion, increasing their medical risk. Continuing pregnancies also increases burdens on the health care system, going against order's stated purpose.
"We certainly don’t want people making unnecessary trips out of state and unnecessary trips to healthcare providers where there are people that may have vulnerabilities to COVID19 that need to go to these healthcare providers for other reasons,' said Tom Castillim the legal director for ACLU Tenneessee.
The attorney general's office plans to respond on Tuesday.
To speed up the legal process, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and Center for Reproductive Rights have filed a supplemental lawsuit to an existing case about Tennessee's 48 hour waiting period, in order to get a quicker decision from the judge.
"We’re hopeful we’ll be able to get this in front of the judge and the judge will be able to weigh the evidence and make a decision," said Tom Castilli, Legal Director for ACLU of Tennessee.
Gillam Ferguson, a spokesperson for Governor Lee called the lawsuit a distraction. “Gov. Lee's executive order seeks to preserve life-saving PPE and limit close contact procedures that are unsafe during the COVID019 pandemic. Planned Parenthood's lawsuit is an unfortunate distraction as we work to ensure our healthcare community has access to critical supplies during the fight against COVID-19,' said Ferguson.
Editor's Note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES IN TENNESSEE
What is COVID-19 (a.k.a. the new coronavirus?)
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Examples include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 stands for "Coronavirus disease 2019," which is when this strain of the coronavirus was discovered.
What are the symptoms?
The CDC says patients confirmed to have the 2019-nCoV reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
At this time, the CDC believes symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or as long as 14 days.
Prevention
The CDC is recommending "common sense" measures such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
