Tennessee appeals judge’s decision to block law making it a crime to aid minors get an abortion

The Fred D. Thompson federal courthouse, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia is set to be arraigned. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Photograph by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout ©2025

Tennessee is appealing an order by a federal judge that permanently blocked a portion of state law that made it a crime to help minors obtain an out-of-state abortion.

The so-called 2024 “abortion trafficking of a minor” law created a misdemeanor offense for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor” for an abortion or to obtain abortion-inducing drugs for a minor. The law does not apply to parents, guardians and those with their written permission.

The law was challenged in July 2024 by state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat and social worker, who