Two Tennessee lawmakers have proposed a bill that would permit a biological father to petition a court to halt a woman who is pregnant with his unborn child from getting an abortion, The Hill reported on Tuesday.
The bill, which was introduced by state Sen. Mark Pody and state Rep. Jerry Sexton, states that once the injunction is issued, the court must hold a hearing with both parties within 14 days. If a woman violates the injunction and obtains an abortion, "the court may hold the respondent in civil or criminal contempt and punish the respondent in accordance with the law."
Fox32 Chicago reported that another stipulation of the bill is that the person who tries to stop the abortion does not need to provide DNA evidence to prove that he is the biological father.
Instead, the petitioner only needs "a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity that is not subject to being rescinded or challenged."
The legislation does not specify if it also applies to instances of rape.
Pody said that the proposal is trying to bring both parents together on abortion decisions, according to One America News Network.
Stressing that the father is just as much of a parent as the mother, Pody said "it took two of them to create this human being and we believe that they should have that opportunity to raise that child."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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