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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
After exposure by The Tennessee Conservative and pro-life organizations throughout the state, opposition rose from citizens and lawmakers alike to HB0533 as it undermined protections for the unborn, but the legislation passed the General Assembly and is set to become law next month.
The bill was initially presented by Rep. Iris Rudder (R-Winchester-District 39) and Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville-District 6) as a benign act to secure a “right” to seek all fertility treatments in the state, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other forms of assisted reproduction.
However, it was deemed dangerous by grassroots conservatives and pro-life advocacy groups for its disregard of both the state and scientific definitions of “unborn child” which say an unborn child is a child from the moment of conception until birth.
Conservative Representative Gino Bulso attempted to amend the legislation, dubbed the “Fertility and Contraceptive Protection Act”, in an effort to ensure that contraception could not be defined as an abortion-inducing drug and draw attention to the bill’s potential contradictions to Tennessee’s espoused pro-life policies as many fertilized embryos are indefinitely frozen or destroyed in the IVF process.
During the House floor debate on the bill Bulso clarified, “The problem is not with IFV, or artificial reproductive technology, the problem is with this bill. It’s extreme. It creates a statutory right for anyone to create and destroy human embryos without any limitation. This bill needs more work, this amendment will help correct it.” The amendment was tabled 65-31.
Lawmakers further raised questions about the legislation’s necessity as there are no prohibitions or restrictions for obtaining assisted fertility treatments or contraception in current Tennessee law. They also pointed out support for the legislation by progressive groups including the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, a fact which did not sway many House Republicans from voting in favor of the measure.
After the bill’s passage in the legislature, 11 state lawmakers signed a letter calling for a veto from Governor Bill Lee, and organizations like Tennessee Right to Life, Tennessee Stands, Abolish Abortion Tennessee, and CatholicVote continued to protest the measure, urging citizens to contact the governor and request he veto the legislation.
Even if he did not wish to veto the bill, Gov. Lee could have allowed the legislation to become law without his signature, a mild form of protest, but Lee signed the act, ultimately showing support for the measure.
The Tennessee Lookout praised the upcoming implementation of the new law, calling it an, “unusual, bipartisan step of protecting certain reproductive rights.” The outlet also noted that Tennessee will now become the “first and only state in the South to have codified the right to access fertility treatments and birth control into state law.”
Bill sponsor Iris Rudder later stated she had been “naïve” thinking the legislation would easily pass with support from all her Republican colleagues. She also thanked Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes (R-East Ridge-District 30) for being the “only woman legislator” that stood beside her in the well as she presented the bill.
Helton-Haynes sponsored a bill this past legislative session which would have created more exceptions for abortions in Tennessee in direct conflict with existing pro-life law. It would have allowed physicians to perform abortions involving unspecified “lethal fetal anomalies” or conditions deemed to cause “harm” to the mother despite their low rate of long-term harm or mortality and sought to remove liability from physicians who performed these abortions.
Rudder still feels that many of her more conservative Republican colleagues did not understand or appreciate that this was “such an important issue for women” and “families in Tennessee”.
“The conversation just went in such a different direction. When I went into the debate, I just wanted them to know that for women in this state, it’s so important. I was very emotional saying, ‘here I am asking you guys to get on board and understand what this bill actually does.’ I think they missed the point,” she said of the House vote.
The “Fertility and Contraceptive Protection Act” will take effect July 1, 2025.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
