A 35-year-old woman was recently denied medical care by a Tennessee physician who cited personal values and objections to her marital status. The incident, which took place earlier this month, marks the first known case in the state of a woman being denied medical care for being unmarried.
The woman, who has been with her partner for 15 years and shares a 13-year-old child with him, was approximately four weeks pregnant at the time of her initial appointment. She reported that her physician declined to provide prenatal care due to her being unwed, advising her to seek treatment elsewhere.
Following the encounter, the woman has been traveling out of state to Virginia to access medical services. She described the experience as deeply unsettling and said she left the appointment after being informed the doctor’s personal beliefs prevented them from treating her.
This incident comes in the wake of Tennessee’s 2025 Medical Ethics Defense Act, which went into effect on April 24. The law grants healthcare providers, hospitals, and insurers the legal right to deny medical care based on religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. It does not require providers to refer patients to alternate care options, nor does it offer legal recourse to those denied treatment.
The woman shared her story at a town hall meeting in Jonesborough, highlighting her concerns about the law’s implications for reproductive healthcare and broader patient access. She stated that although she has experience navigating Medicaid and healthcare systems, many in her community would not be able to do the same.
“I knew this wasn’t right,” she said. “If you’re not willing to provide the best care to me, regardless of the reason, I don’t want any part of this.”
Since being denied medical care, she has filed complaints with the Department of Commerce and Insurance and the American Medical Association. She also attempted to reach out to her elected officials but said her calls and concerns have largely gone unanswered.
Tennessee currently has the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States and ranks poorly in infant mortality. The state has also seen a decline in practicing OB-GYNs, exacerbated by its total abortion ban and a lack of investment in rural maternity care. A recent CNBC study ranked Tennessee as the worst state in the country to live in, citing healthcare access as a major factor.
In addition to the impacts of the Medical Ethics Defense Act, an estimated 300,000 Tennesseans may lose health coverage due to recent Medicaid cuts under President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” with nine rural hospitals at risk of closure.
Critics of the new law, including Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), argue that allowing providers to deny medical care based on personal beliefs sets a dangerous precedent.
“If you can just refuse treatment to anyone whose lifestyle you disagree with — that’s not medical ethics. That’s discrimination,” Johnson said.
Calls to the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Bryan Terry (R–Murfreesboro) and Sen. Ferrell Haile (R–Gallatin), were not returned.
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