Attorney General Kwame Raoul has taken a stand alongside a coalition of 20 attorneys general, submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. This action is part of a lawsuit aimed at challenging a Tennessee law criminalizing assistance to minors seeking reproductive health care outside the state due to Tennessee's broad abortion restrictions.
In this brief, Raoul and his colleagues argue that Tennessee's legislation endangers the health and welfare of minors and obstructs medical providers and residents from other states from delivering lawful abortion care. Tennessee's laws prohibit abortion in nearly all scenarios, including cases of rape or incest.
Attorney General Raoul states, "States across the nation continue to implement draconian bans on reproductive health care, endangering the lives of pregnant women to advance an extreme ideological agenda. Illinois proudly remains an oasis for women seeking reproductive health care across the nation, and I will continue to challenge any actions that attempt to curtail access to lawful health care in Illinois and across the country."
The coalition's brief urges the appeals court to uphold a lower court's decision to enjoin part of the Tennessee law. They argue states should not prevent individuals from seeking legal abortion care elsewhere or disseminating information on such services. The strict nature of Tennessee's abortion laws has driven more residents to seek medical care in other states, including Illinois, where abortion rights are protected.
This brief is part of Raoul's ongoing efforts to counter restrictive abortion laws that penalize support for accessing lawful reproductive care beyond state borders. Previously, Raoul has been involved in legal actions, including a challenge against Idaho's restrictive abortion law and supporting Planned Parenthood Great Northwest against laws limiting out-of-state referrals for abortion services.
The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have joined Raoul in filing the brief.