New bill would penalize mailing abortion drugs to Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new bill filed in the Tennessee General Assembly would make providing abortion-inducing pharmaceuticals to Tennesseans punishable by $5 million.

The bill, titled the “Unborn Child Protection Act of 2025,” was filed by conservative Republican Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood).

It stipulates anyone who “mails or delivers an abortion-inducing drug” into Tennessee for the express purpose of obtaining a chemical abortion will be “strictly liable” for a $5 million damages claim if the unborn child dies. The bill allows for a five-year statute of limitations for the claim.

The bill includes the drugs mifepristone, misoprostol, and mifeprex (RU-486) “when possessed or distributed for the purpose of terminating the life of an unborn child.”

However, the bill carves out an exception for misoprostol if the medication is used “for the purpose of treating a stomach ulcer.”

If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2025.