Tennessee Made IVF an Individual Right. It’s Time to Amend the “Trojan Horse”
Nov 5, 2026 by FACT
Last year, Tennessee became the first Southern state to declare IVF to be an “individual right.”
The Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act passed the Senate unanimously and cleared the House 54-37. Although 11 House Republicans urged Governor Lee to veto the bill, he signed it into law in April 2025, and it took effect that July.
"The support of this bill by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and all 24 House Democrats should give you pause to consider whether it, well-intended or not, is a Trojan horse that could potentially undermine Tennessee's strong and righteous stance on the protection of innocent human life,” the letter from the 11 House Republicans to Gov. Lee stated.
The law defines “fertility treatment” broadly enough to cover IVF, embryo testing, and gamete donation, and it declares that state law may not restrict those activities. Amending this legislation will be one of FACT’s top priorities in the 2027 Legislative Session.
This legislation (§ 63-1-180), though well-intentioned, is actually harmful to Tennesseans because it invites more wanton destruction of human embryos, undermines the institutions of biblical marriage and the natural family, opens the door to all kinds of abuses of assisted reproductive technology, and creates challenges for future child-protective regulations on the fertility industry in Tennessee.
Every human embryo is a human life made in the image of God. Tennessee law should protect those lives rather than shield an industry that discards them.
“The In Vitro Fertilization process routinely generates more embryos than can be safely implanted, thus resulting in the continued freezing, stockpiling, and ultimate destruction of human embryos, some of whom may also be subjected to medical experimentation,” the Southern Baptist Convention stated in its 2024 resolution on the topic. “[IVF] most often participates in the destruction of embryonic human life and increasingly engages in dehumanizing methods for determining suitability for life and genetic sorting, based on notions of genetic fitness and parental preferences.”
We estimate that preparing, promoting, and passing an amendment to remedy the dangerous language in this act will cost at least $25,000.
Would you prayerfully consider underwriting this priority before lawmakers return to Nashville in January? A gift of $25, $50, $100 or more goes a long way in helping us defend the sanctity of life.
Thank you for standing with us. You are helping create a state and nation where God is honored, life is cherished, and religious liberty flourishes. We couldn’t fulfill this important mission without you!
The Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act passed the Senate unanimously and cleared the House 54-37. Although 11 House Republicans urged Governor Lee to veto the bill, he signed it into law in April 2025, and it took effect that July.
"The support of this bill by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and all 24 House Democrats should give you pause to consider whether it, well-intended or not, is a Trojan horse that could potentially undermine Tennessee's strong and righteous stance on the protection of innocent human life,” the letter from the 11 House Republicans to Gov. Lee stated.
The law defines “fertility treatment” broadly enough to cover IVF, embryo testing, and gamete donation, and it declares that state law may not restrict those activities. Amending this legislation will be one of FACT’s top priorities in the 2027 Legislative Session.
This legislation (§ 63-1-180), though well-intentioned, is actually harmful to Tennesseans because it invites more wanton destruction of human embryos, undermines the institutions of biblical marriage and the natural family, opens the door to all kinds of abuses of assisted reproductive technology, and creates challenges for future child-protective regulations on the fertility industry in Tennessee.
Every human embryo is a human life made in the image of God. Tennessee law should protect those lives rather than shield an industry that discards them.
“The In Vitro Fertilization process routinely generates more embryos than can be safely implanted, thus resulting in the continued freezing, stockpiling, and ultimate destruction of human embryos, some of whom may also be subjected to medical experimentation,” the Southern Baptist Convention stated in its 2024 resolution on the topic. “[IVF] most often participates in the destruction of embryonic human life and increasingly engages in dehumanizing methods for determining suitability for life and genetic sorting, based on notions of genetic fitness and parental preferences.”
We estimate that preparing, promoting, and passing an amendment to remedy the dangerous language in this act will cost at least $25,000.
Would you prayerfully consider underwriting this priority before lawmakers return to Nashville in January? A gift of $25, $50, $100 or more goes a long way in helping us defend the sanctity of life.
Thank you for standing with us. You are helping create a state and nation where God is honored, life is cherished, and religious liberty flourishes. We couldn’t fulfill this important mission without you!
