It is the policy and authority of this state that:

(1) All medically acceptable contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information shall be readily and practicably available to each and every person desirous of the same regardless of sex, race, age, income, number of children, marital status, citizenship or motive;
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-34-104

  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of health. See Tennessee Code 68-34-102
  • Contraceptive procedures: means any medically accepted procedure designed to prevent conception. See Tennessee Code 68-34-102
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Physician: means any doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy duly licensed to practice such physician's profession in Tennessee or the state in which such physician resides and lawfully practices such physician's profession. See Tennessee Code 68-34-102
  • sex: means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(2) Contraceptive procedures, including medical procedures for permanent sterilization, when performed by a physician on a requesting and consenting patient, are consistent with public policy;
(3) Nothing in this chapter shall inhibit a physician from refusing to furnish any contraceptive procedures, supplies or information where such refusal is for medical reasons;
(4) Dissemination of medically acceptable contraceptive information by duly authorized persons in state and county health and welfare departments, in medical facilities at institutions of higher learning, and at other agencies and instrumentalities of this state is consistent with public policy;
(5) No private institution or physician, nor any agent or employee of such institution or physician, shall be prohibited from refusing to provide contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information when such refusal is based upon religious or conscientious objection, and no such institution, employee, agent, or physician shall be held liable for such refusal; and
(6) To the extent that family planning funds are available, each public health agency of this state and each of its political subdivisions shall provide contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information, including voluntary sterilization procedures for male or female persons eligible for free medical service as determined by rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner. The same service shall be available to all others who are unable to obtain the service privately, at a cost to be determined by rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner.
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