Tennessee Republicans propose bill that would allow the death penalty for women who have an abortion

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Monday 23 February 2026 13:26 EST


Republicans in Tennessee have proposed a bill that would allow women who have had an abortion to be sentenced to death.

House Bill 570 allows for the death penalty to be imposed on women who have abortions, as well as charging women “involved in the homicide of her own unborn child” with homicide. It was co-sponsored by state Rep. Jody Barrett and Senator Mark Pody, who sponsored the bill, though it is not yet on the calendar for consideration, according to The Tennessean.

The legislation would allow prosecutors to charge women who obtain abortions with fetal homicide. This crime is punishable by life imprisonment, life without parole, and in some cases, the death penalty.

Tennessee has some of the strictest abortion laws in the U.S. since its “trigger ban” took place in 2022. The Human Life Protection Act prevents all abortions from fertilization and there are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/tennessee-death-penalty-abortion-b2925988.html

[rampartd]

1. the "right to life" movement has always loved the death penalty.

[bluestarone]

2. Jeepers, wheres the bill that

Allows a guillotine for THAT boy (MAN) that caused that pregnancy?

[mpcamb]

42. I was thinking- a Public Castration first.

[bluestarone]

43. That did enter my mind, but

[The Madcap]

53. With a miniature guillotine...

[sop]

3. I propose the death penalty for pedophiles.

[Sweet Rosie Red]

4. And how about the men?

Let’s have a bill charging them with “impregnation of an unwilling mother” With the same penalties!
Keep it in your pants boys! Put a ring on it!

[Ritabert]

5. Hey ladies time for a Lysistrata protest....no sex.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Death, or breeding sow, which choose ye, My Lady? /nt

[whathehell]

14. Death or 'breeding sow'"?

Remember: Women aren't "sows" just because Men are pigs.

[otchmoson]

7. And just how

do miscarriages (nature's abortion) fit into this scheme?

[Ol Janx Spirit]

10. Well...

Exceptions include the cases of “spontaneous miscarriage” or “unintentional death of an unborn child” after “undertaking life-saving procedures” to save the life of the mother and “to save the life of the unborn child.”

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/tennessee-death-penalty-abortion-b2925988.html

However, you know these people will charge a woman if they even suspect she had a glass of wine on the night she conceived....

Pretty horrible people.

[Grokenstein]

13. Also execution. It's always the woman's fault, somehow.

The important thing is, the state gets to murder someone while Family Values Republicans jack off to it.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

8. That's good old southern "pro-life" zealots for you....

They also don't think the government can do anything right, but they are totally comfortable putting them in charge of executing people--especially if it fulfils their "pro-life" agenda apparently.

hy·poc·ri·sy
/həˈpäkrəsē/
noun
1. the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.

2. any person claiming to be MAGA

[mahina]

50. Oh man, that nails it! The government can't do anything right, and also they should be in charge of executing people to

further their pro-life agenda.

Nails.

[AverageOldGuy]

9. As the old detective said to Jack Nicholson's character . . .

. . . in the closing scene of the movie "Chinatown:"

Forget it, Jake . . . it's Tennessee.

[AZJonnie]

11. I wonder what entities make the profits on Tubal Ligation surgeries in Tennessee, and if they are publicly traded?

I have a few bucks lying around to invest in something, and this could turn into a real growth industry.

ALSO FUCK THIS MISOGYNIST, PATRIARCHAL BULLSHIT!!!

[wolfie001]

12. white christo-fascists are the worst

Up there with Hitler's cabal.

[GiqueCee]

15. Actually...

... I think the Christo-fascists make Hitler's crew look like choir boys. The Christian Nationalists defile Christ's teachings in their diseased effort to establish a theocracy based on lies, and wrap themselves in the blood-soaked cloak of über-religiosity. As vile as they were, the Nazis didn't hide behind a perverted interpretation of the Nazz* and his wisdom.

* Check out recordings of Lord Buckley's "The Nazz" They're probably on YouTube somewhere. Everything else is.

[Dan]

26. Someone said...There's nothing worse than Christian love.

[niyad]

31. I believe the quote is, "There's no hate like christian love."

[Dan]

32. hahaha.... yeah, you got it....

Thank you for the update.

[Bayard]

16. I'd be willing to bet a number of their girlfriends and daughters have had abortions somewhere

So Christian of these rethuglicans. I'd like to see the Bible passage pushing their opinion.

[Gary 50]

17. If a loved one of mine was executed by these fascist pigs for having an abortion,

Jody Barrett and Mark Pody would wish they were never born.

[mwb970]

18. These would be "pro-life" republicans, right?

I am amazed by how out-of-step the Fascist Party is with the American people.

[xuplate]

19. The more children born

the more children for the party of pedos to abuse and the unwanted ones are the most vulnerable.

[Godot51]

20. What is the punishment...

in Tennessee for impregnating a woman and then abandoning her, not supporting her, or not supporting the resulting child?

[niyad]

33. Nothing. A medal, maybe.

[Skittles]

21. TENNESSEE TALIBAN

THERE I FIXED IT

[delisen]

23. The Taliban Label for the state

[OldBaldy1701E]

22. And, those slimeballs who kill their spouses because they are divorcing them?

How about the dudes who slay a date over the fact that she did not 'behave'?

Face it, this is misogyny at its finest. They just want to strut around and fell better about their own slimeball behavior.

I miss certain aspects of living in Tennessee, but dealing with guys who are so insecure that they have to go all 'incel' on the female population just so that they can fee superior is not one of them.

I await the news articles about these dudes and their 'sexual proclivities'.

[Ilsa]

24. How about the death penalty for men who use viagra for rape? nt

[FakeNoose]

25. This would be reason enough to leave Tennessee and never look back

[Scrivener7]

27. These people are fucking insane.

[electric_blue68]

28. Effin' Crazed Murderous Mysoginists!

[yourout]

29. Coming soon... Period patrols.

Next job for ICE

[chouchou]

30. If any state/politicians actually passed that type of Law, my ass would ...

..get the hell far away...far away from idiotic hillbillies..

[COL Mustard]

34. Who's surprised?

Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

[dedl67]

35. Speaking of death, Tennessee and other red states are in death spirals

With every terrible law that is passed in a red state, many smart, ambitious, talented people leave and move to blue states. Because of that, the red states become even more dominated by the stupid people in the state. Then they pass even worse laws, which drives even more smart, ambitious, talented people away. That is called a vicious cycle, and it is causing the US to become more and more divided into states which are progressive, with a high quality of life, and states that are backward, with a low quality of life.

[CTyankee]

36. dear gawd. this makes me so glad I live in pro-choice CT!!!

[Vinca]

37. I'm sure they don't appreciate the irony of that.

[MrsCheaplaugh]

38. Because they're "Pro-life" I suppose

Also, welcome to the Republic of Gilead.

[Clouds Passing]

39. Death penalty for males who rape

[eringer]

40. What Happens at Fort Campbell?

The military base straddles Kentucky and Tennessee. Do you just wait until the soldier crosses the border or are you going to hunt them down? And how long are you going to hold them until they are stoned to death? Will the executions be televised? So many questions for the Tennessee legislature to struggle with.

[24601]

47. Federal, not state, jurisdiction.n/t

[ffr]

41. That's what the law is now! Yes, women are already de facto dying because of Epstein, I mean, Republican law

I suppose punishing the women that survive with death, makes it certain that becoming pregnant is playing Russian Roulette with their lives. If they have a successful pregnancy that comes to term, congratulations, you're allowed to live.

But if you fail to carry the pregnancy to term and either have a life saving abortion, the Epstein Death Panels, I mean, Republican Death Panels, can still sentence you to death. Yippie! Taliban justice, right there in a nutshell!

We love you, Mr. Trump!

[efhmc]

49. Delusional cyborgs.

[maliaSmith]

44. proposed murder of women who don't want to be forced to birth a baby

How many women in Tenn. will continue to vote for the GOP?

[electric_blue68]

48. One would Hope this would change some minds!

[LudwigPastorius]

45. What is this?

...the Republic of Motherfucking Gilead?

[maxsolomon]

46. The logical end point of RTL extremism.

what are the odds this passes? less than 50%?

[artemisia1]

51. "The Handmaid's Tale" is becoming fact:

[TexasBushwhacker]

52. Death penalty for the impregnators too then n/t