The Unborn Child Protection Act of 2025: A Comprehensive Policy Analysis

Publication Date

Spring 2025

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Department

Social Work, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Scholarship

Faculty Advisor

Jennifer Crowell Thompson

WELL Core Type

Intellectual Wellness

SPARK Session

Social Justice & the 114th TN General Assembly: Policy Impact Presentations

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

Some policymakers argue that women’s healthcare and abortion are two separate issues, but the literature has consistently proven that this is inaccurate (Manian, 2014). In reality, restricting abortion access causes serious harm to women and infants. Since Dobbs v. Jackson in 2021, there has been a thirteen percent increase in infant deaths and a forty percent increase in dangerous, self-administered abortions (Mcgovern et al., 2024). House Bill 0026, the Unborn Child Protection Act of 2025, amends TCA Title 29, Title 39, Chapter 15, Part 2, Title 53, Title 63, and Title 68. This bill criminalizes mailing abortion medication—including mifepristone, misoprostol, and mifeprex—and individuals found guilty can be held liable for five million dollars in damages. However, the literature supports that restricting access to abortions results in higher rates of maternal and infant mortality (Addante et al., 2021; Haddad & Nour, 2009; Mcgovern et al., 2024; Pabayo et al., 2020; Verma & Shainker, 2020). Thus, it is highly likely that this legislation will continue to harm women and children physically, emotionally, and financially. This legislation directly opposes the social work values of the dignity and worth of individuals and self-determination. Forcing women to give birth to babies they are not willing or able to support does not honor their dignity and worth. Women must have the right to bodily autonomy and make choices about their future without government interference or punishment.

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