Tennessee Abortion Bill Would Publish Names Of Doctors, Demographic Information Of Women

Physicians who perform abortions in Tennessee could have their identities revealed online, while women who receive the procedure could have their demographic information published for public perusal under a new bill pending in the state House of Representatives that is scheduled to come before a committee on Wednesday.

The legislation, known as the Life Defense Act of 2012, would require Tennessee's Department of Health to publish extensive details about women who receive abortions, giving lawmakers a rare chance to make a move that will potentially regulate the controversial procedure.

In 2000, the Tennessee State Supreme Court ruled abortion is a right protected under the state constitution, making it almost impossible for conservative lawmakers to push through some of the divisive abortion-regulating laws that have been popping up across state legislatures in recent months.

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