(a) It is the policy of the state to favor childbirth as integral to the health and welfare of the citizens of the state and therefore to favor family planning services that do not include elective abortions or the promotion of elective abortions within the continuum of care or services offered by the provider and to avoid the direct or indirect use of state funds to promote or support elective abortions.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 71-5-157

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) In furtherance of this state policy, a waiver amendment to the existing TennCare II waiver that requires elective abortion providers be excluded from participation as providers in the TennCare program shall be submitted to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services for approval. The waiver amendment shall be implemented within ten (10) business days of approval.
(c) For purposes of this section, an “elective abortion provider” means any entity that performed, or operated or maintained a facility that performed, more than fifty (50) abortions in the previous year, or any affiliate of such an entity.
(d) This section does not affect compliance with § 9-4-5116.