A new Tennessee law requires that medical physicians properly counsel pregnant women regarding potential options before undergoing drug-induced abortions. Doctors must now inform women that drug-induced abortions have a possibility of reversal if they change their minds and wish to carry the pregnancy midway through the procedure. However, many pro-choice supporters find this new law another form of "political propaganda."

Tennessee's abortion reversal laws were enacted on October 1st, 2020. However, lawsuits halted the progress. Pro-life advocates dismiss the outcry as biased. The law does not stop women from opting for abortions within the mandated time limit.

Rather, it places the responsibility on health professionals to inform the patient that they have the potential to opt for abortion reversal during the procedure within the 72-hour timeframe. Women who might rush into the procedure may quickly regret it, making abortion reversal counseling beneficial for them.

The law is a step in the right direction. Medical abortions are carried out through drugs. The two-step process involves the utilization of mifepristone and misoprostol, which thins the uterus lining and softens the cervix opening, respectively.

The window between the 1st and the 2nd abortion pills allow women to discontinue the abortion process if they change their mind. There is substantial evidence for abortion reversal based on augmenting a pregnancy hormone known as progesterone, which inhibits the shedding of the uterine lining. The prerogative behind this latest Tennessee law only requires that physicians inform patients of all the options they can pursue.

A 2018 study included several case studies that showed successful abortion reversal during a drug-induced abortion is possible without any increased risk of possible birth defects. The argument that drug-induced abortion reversal is unsafe and has health implications is a conjecture.

While Tennessee is defending the abortion reversal lawsuit, the attorney general office has cited that the law explicitly allows women to have as much information as possible before they undergo a procedure.

The assumption that the state is inhibiting women from opting in for abortions within the statement-mandated window and risking physicians’ ethical grounds is highly inaccurate. Surveys conducted in abortion clinics also demonstrate that, despite an abortion, pregnant women preferred to be informed of all their options, including the reversal procedure, regardless of whether they were planning to elect for it.

The primary aim of this law is to promote better counseling on the part of health professionals regarding drug-induced abortion and the potential reversal procedure. In no way does the abortion reversal law block medical physicians’ right to freedom of expression; it only encourages open dialogue regarding the pros, cons, and options pregnant women have before undergoing the process of drug-induced abortion.