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| - Last Updated on October 22, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
A social media post claims that Tennessee banned Plan B and made its ordering criminally punishable. We fact checked and found this claim to be False.
The Claim
A social media post claims, ‘Tennessee just banned Plan B …This was NEVER about health.’ Several other posts claiming that can also be seen.
Fact Check
What is Plan B?
Plan B is a hormone used as an emergency contraceptive pill that should be taken 72 hours after unprotected sex. It is used to prevent unprotected pregnancy. It is an over-the-counter drug.
What are Abortion Pills?
These are the medication that is used for abortion, normally taken in about the first 11 weeks of pregnancy. It involves a combination of two medicines, namely mifepristone and misoprostol. These are taken at around 24 hours gap. The drug Mifepristone blocks the hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy, namely, progesterone, and another drug, misoprostol makes the uterus contract to complete the abortion.
The legislative changes surrounding reproductive health, such as the controversial stance on Plan B in Tennessee, highlight the complexities of public health decisions, which can also be seen in the ongoing debates about the nature of viruses and their role in human health.
Did Tennessee ban Plan B and made its ordering criminally punishable?
No. On May 5, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed HB 2416. This prohibits any distribution of abortion medication except when prescribing is done in person by a physician. It restricts access to certain medications, but it did not involve Plan B.
The legislation at the center of this claim, though, imposes strict restrictions on dispensing abortion pills. The law imposes a $50,000 penalty and imprisonment for up to 20 years for any doctor or on a person who dispenses abortion pills through the mail. There is no legislation in Tennessee that bans emergency contraceptive pills at the time of writing. Therefore, the claim is false.
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