Life Choices of Memphis

The abortion pill in Tennessee

Whether the abortion pill is legally available depends on the state you're in. In Tennessee it isn't.

See your options, side by side

When you're ready, free in-person help in Memphis is here.

If you'd rather talk to someone now, call (901) 388-6262.

How the abortion pill works, and where Tennessee law stands. Safe, confidential, and free.

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The short version

  • The abortion pill is not available in Tennessee. Abortion is banned here at every stage of pregnancy, and telehealth appointments for abortion are not available either.
  • It's two different medicines, not one pill, taken a day or two apart, and it only applies early in pregnancy.
  • Cramping and bleeding heavier than a period are expected. The heaviest stretch is usually a few hours, and lighter bleeding can carry on for days.
  • Two things matter before anything else: how many weeks along you are, and whether the pregnancy is inside your uterus. A limited ultrasound confirms the pregnancy and shows how far along you are.
  • The follow-up check is how you know the pregnancy has fully passed and that you're healthy.
  • Life Choices of Memphis offers a free pregnancy test and information about how abortion works, including the abortion pill. Call or text (901) 388-6262 at any hour.

What happens when you come in

  1. Call and pick a time

    Call (901) 388-6262 and we'll find a time that works.

  2. Free pregnancy test

    It takes minutes, and you get the result while you're here.

  3. Free ultrasound if you want one

    It shows how far along you are.

  4. Talk through your options

    We go through what each option involves, including how abortion works.

What the abortion pill actually is

It's not one pill. It's two different medicines, taken a day or two apart, and they're used only early in pregnancy.

The first medicine blocks a hormone the pregnancy needs to keep developing. The second, taken a day or two later, makes the uterus cramp and empty. You may see the whole thing called medication abortion instead. It means the same process.

It only works in a narrow early window, so how far along you are decides whether it applies to you at all.

Where state law leaves this

Tennessee bans abortion at every stage of pregnancy, so the abortion pill is not available here. Telehealth appointments for abortion are not available in Tennessee either.

There's one narrow medical exception, and the law section spells out exactly what it covers. Laws also change, so confirm the current rules with a licensed provider or an attorney.

A lot of what you find online won't match your situation, because national pages describe what's available in other states.

Abortion laws in Tennessee

This is the law in Tennessee, where this center is. If you live somewhere else, it's your own state's rules that apply to you.

Tennessee abortion law, taken from the sources listed below.

  • Whether abortion is legal here:The Tennessee General Assembly's own record of this law says that, as enacted, it enacts the Human Life Protection Act, which bans abortion in this state, effective on the 30th day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade or an amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows states to prohibit abortion. The same record says the law creates an exception for situations where the abortion is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, and that it prohibits prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted. The bill was assigned Public Chapter Number 351.
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  • How the 2023 changes were recorded:The Tennessee General Assembly's record for Senate Bill 745 says that, as enacted, the bill makes various changes relative to abortion, and that the companion bill has been assigned Public Chapter Number 313 by the Secretary of State. The record's bill history line reading "Comp. became Pub. Ch. 313" is dated 05/03/2023.
  • What the law calls an abortion, and what the crime is:This act shall be known and may be cited as the Human Life Protection Act. It adds a new section to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 15, Part 2, and that section defines abortion as the use of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device with intent to terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant, with intent other than to increase the probability of a live birth, to preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead fetus. Medicine and drugs are named inside that definition, so it is not limited to a procedure. Where the statute uses its own term for what is developing in a pregnancy, this page says embryo or fetus; that section defines the term as an individual living member of the species homo sapiens, throughout the entire embryonic and fetal stages, from fertilization until birth. The same section says a person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion commits the offense of criminal abortion, and that criminal abortion is a Class C felony.
  • Who the law punishes:The Act says this section does not subject the pregnant woman upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted to criminal conviction or penalty. It also says medical treatment provided to the pregnant woman by a licensed physician which results in the accidental death of, or unintentional injury to or death of, the embryo or fetus is not a violation of the section.
  • The medical exception:Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-15-213 is amended by deleting subsection (c) and substituting a new subsection. The first paragraph of that new subsection, numbered (c)(1), says that, notwithstanding subsection (b), a person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion does not commit the offense of criminal abortion if the abortion is performed or attempted by a licensed physician in a licensed hospital or ambulatory surgical treatment center and two conditions are met. First, the physician determined, using reasonable medical judgment, based upon the facts known to the physician at the time, that the abortion was necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman. Second, the physician performs or attempts to perform the abortion in the manner which, using reasonable medical judgment, based upon the facts known to the physician at the time, provides the best opportunity for the embryo or fetus to survive, unless, using reasonable medical judgment, termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of death to the pregnant woman or substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. In that second condition the statute uses its own term for what is developing in a pregnancy, and this page says embryo or fetus.
  • Mental health and that exception:The same subsection says an abortion is not authorized under subdivision (c)(1)(A), and a greater risk to the pregnant woman does not exist under subdivision (c)(2)(B), if either determination is based upon a claim or a diagnosis that the pregnant woman will engage in conduct that would result in her death or the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, or for any reason relating to the pregnant woman's mental health.
  • What serious risk to a major bodily function means:Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-15-213(a) was amended to add definitions. Serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function means any medically diagnosed condition that so complicates the pregnancy of a woman as to directly or indirectly cause the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. The definition says it may include previable preterm premature rupture of membranes, inevitable abortion, severe preeclampsia, mirror syndrome associated with fetal hydrops, and an infection that can result in uterine rupture or loss of fertility. It says it does not include any condition related to the woman's mental health. The same amendment defines inevitable abortion as a dilation of the cervix prior to viability of the pregnancy, either by preterm labor or cervical insufficiency.
  • Ectopic and molar pregnancy:Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-15-213(a)(1) is amended by adding the language "to terminate an ectopic or molar pregnancy," before the language "or to remove a dead fetus".
  • Ultrasound steps in section 39-15-215:Prior to a pregnant woman giving informed consent to having an abortion as required by section 39-15-202, the physician shall determine the gestational age of the embryo or fetus, inform her of that age, perform an obstetric ultrasound, auscultate the fetal heartbeat of the embryo or fetus, if any, so that she may hear the heartbeat if the heartbeat is audible, provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting, display the ultrasound images so that she may view them, record the presence or absence of a fetal heartbeat in her medical record, and obtain from her a signed certification that she was presented with the required information, that she viewed the ultrasound images or declined to do so, and that she listened to the heartbeat if the heartbeat was audible or declined to do so.
  • Which of those sections are superseded:Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-15-213 is amended by adding a new subsection saying that, while section 39-15-213 is in effect, this section supersedes sections 39-15-211, 39-15-212, 39-15-214, 39-15-215, 39-15-216, 39-15-217 and 39-15-218. Section 39-15-215 is named in that list.
  • If you are under 18: a parent's consent:Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-10-303(a) carries a parental consent requirement for a minor to have an abortion. A 2006 act, which took effect on July 1, 2006, made it a Class A misdemeanor to impersonate the parent or legal guardian of an unemancipated minor for the purpose of circumventing that requirement. The same act says the person performing the abortion shall obtain some written documentation, other than the written consent itself, that purports to establish the relationship of the parent or guardian to the minor, and shall retain that documentation, along with the signed consent, for at least one year. Failure to obtain or retain them is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable only by a fine, unless the failure to retain was due to a bona fide, imminent medical emergency to the minor.
  • If you are under 18: what the court rule covers:A court rule promulgated under Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-10-304(i) governs petitions for waiver of parental consent for abortions by minors, and says those proceedings are to be conducted in an expeditious and anonymous manner. Under the rule, an applicant is a pregnant female less than eighteen years of age and not emancipated, or a person acting as next friend on her behalf. The proceeding is commenced by filing a petition in the Juvenile Court of any county of this state. The proceedings governed by the rule shall be confidential and the record shall be sealed. Except as provided in Section 5(c) of the rule, the identity of the applicant shall not be disclosed at any stage of the proceeding, and in all documents and proceedings she is identified or referred to only by the initials of her first and last name. Section 5(c) says one copy of the petition shall contain the complete true name of the minor applicant, shall be filed with the court, and shall be kept in a separate file under seal that is not open to inspection by anyone except as provided in Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-10-304(h). An applicant has the right to court-appointed counsel, and upon request the court shall immediately appoint counsel to assist her. No filing fees or court costs shall be required of the applicant. The petition asks the court to enter an order authorizing a physician to perform an abortion upon the applicant without first obtaining parental consent.
  • If you have a pregnancy emergency: the emergency room:A hospital emergency department, including a satellite emergency department, shall not deny to a woman who presents there and purports, or if incapacitated appears, to be pregnant and experiencing active labor, other symptoms associated with active labor, or an emergency medical condition, an appropriate medical screening examination within the capability of the emergency department, to determine whether an emergency medical condition or active labor exists.
  • What the emergency room rule does not change:That section says it does not authorize an abortion unless the conditions in 39-15-213(c) are met.
  • Consent and the 48 hour wait in section 39-15-202:Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-15-202 is amended by deleting the section in its entirety and substituting new text, in an act that shall take effect July 1, 2015. The substituted text says that, except in a medical emergency that prevents compliance, no abortion shall be performed or induced upon a pregnant woman unless the woman has provided her informed written consent, given freely and without coercion. Except in a medical emergency that prevents compliance with that requirement or with any of the items listed under it, it also says no abortion shall be performed or induced unless she has first been informed orally and in person, by the attending physician who is to perform the abortion or by the referring physician, of a list of facts, and has signed a consent form acknowledging that she has been so informed. That list includes that according to the best judgment of her attending physician or referring physician she is pregnant, the probable gestational age of the embryo or fetus, that numerous public and private agencies and services are available to assist her during her pregnancy and after the birth of her child if she chooses not to have the abortion, and the normal and reasonably foreseeable medical benefits, risks, or both of undergoing an abortion or continuing the pregnancy to term. The text then says that, except in a medical emergency that prevents compliance, no abortion shall be performed until a waiting period of forty-eight hours has elapsed after that information is provided, including the day on which the information was provided, and that after the forty-eight hours have elapsed and prior to the abortion the patient shall sign the consent form. It adds that if any court temporarily, preliminarily or permanently enjoins enforcement of that waiting period, or declares it unconstitutional, the waiting period shall be twenty-four hours, subject to the same medical emergency exception, and that if the injunction or declaration is subsequently vacated or reversed the waiting period shall revert to forty-eight hours. It defines a medical emergency, for those requirements, as a condition that, on the basis of the physician's good faith medical judgment, so complicates a medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate an immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death, or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function.

Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] · Last verified2026-09-16. Laws in this state are changing; confirm current rules.

What happens in your body

When someone takes these medicines, cramping and bleeding follow. That part is the medicine working, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

  • The bleeding is usually heavier than a period, and often includes clots.
  • The heaviest stretch is commonly a few hours long.
  • Lighter bleeding or spotting can carry on for days, sometimes a week or two.
  • Nausea, chills, tiredness, or a short low fever are common for a day or so.
  • All of this varies from person to person.

Get medical care right away if bleeding soaks through two full sanitary pads an hour for two hours in a row, if pain keeps getting worse instead of easing, or if a fever won't come down.

Two things worth settling before anything else

Neither one comes from a home test, and both change what's even on the table.

How many weeks along you are. Dates from memory are often further off than people expect, and this option only exists in an early window.

Whether the pregnancy is growing inside your uterus. Sometimes it implants in a fallopian tube instead. The abortion pill does not treat that, and its cramping and bleeding can look like the medicine working while the real problem carries on. Sharp pain low down or on one side, pain in your shoulder, or feeling faint are reasons to go to an emergency room now.

A limited ultrasound settles both at once: it confirms the pregnancy and puts a real number on the weeks. The scan answers those two questions instead of being a full diagnostic scan, and very early on it can't always give a definite answer. Life Choices of Memphis is at 5575 Raleigh-LaGrange Rd in Memphis. Call or text (901) 388-6262 at any hour. Appointments are often available the same day or the next.

Why the follow-up check isn't optional

The process isn't finished when the bleeding stops. A follow-up check is how you know the pregnancy has fully passed and that you're healthy.

It matters because of two things that happen in a small share of cases. Tissue can stay behind, and the pregnancy can carry on even after both medicines. Neither one always gives you a sign, so feeling fine afterward isn't proof that it's over. The table below shows how often each outcome happens.

If this has already happened and something feels wrong, you don't have to work it out alone. Life Choices of Memphis offers someone to talk to after an abortion, and you can call or text (901) 388-6262 at any hour.

What the evidence supports

You'll find confident claims in both directions online.

How people feel afterward varies. Relief, sadness, and several feelings at once are all common. If you want to talk any of that through, call or text (901) 388-6262.

A fully informed decision

Your options, side by side

Each option below sets out what it involves and what people weigh before choosing it. Life Choices of Memphis does not perform or refer for abortion.

The abortion pill (medication abortion), banned in Tennessee apart from a narrow medical exception

What this option involves

  • Ends the pregnancy with medicine instead of a procedure
  • It happens at home, over hours, rather than in a clinic
  • No anesthesia is used

What to consider

  • The FDA approves it through about 10 weeks, so how far along you are decides whether it applies
  • The medicine does not treat an ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy growing outside the uterus, so where the pregnancy is has to be confirmed first
  • Cramping and bleeding heavier than a period, heaviest for a few hours and then tapering over days
  • You'll need a follow-up check to confirm the pregnancy has fully passed

How often this happens

Tissue stays behind and a short procedure is needed to finish
about 20 to 50 out of 1,000 in early pregnancy · ACOG, reviewed 2026-06-25
Get care right away if: Keep the follow-up visit even if nothing feels wrong, because that's how this gets found. Before then, call a provider for bleeding that restarts heavy after it had settled, cramping that doesn't ease, a discharge that smells bad, or a fever of 100.4F or higher that lasts more than 4 hours.
The pregnancy carries on after both medicines
about 10 to 30 out of 1,000 in early pregnancy · FDA, reviewed 2026-06-25
Get care right away if: Pregnancy symptoms that continue, or very little bleeding at all. Only a follow-up check confirms it either way, so go even if you feel fine.
A serious complication needing urgent care, counted across both abortion methods
fewer than 10 out of 1,000 in early pregnancy · ACOG, reviewed 2026-06-25
Get care right away if: Get medical care right away for bleeding that soaks through two full sanitary pads an hour for two hours in a row, or for pain that keeps getting worse instead of easing.

Parenting

What this option involves

  • You raise your child
  • You keep your legal rights as your child's parent
  • Support for parents exists locally

What to consider

  • Carrying a pregnancy to term has its own medical course: prenatal care, delivery, and recovery
  • It changes your school, your work, and your money for years, and childcare and housing have to be arranged
  • You may not know yet whether the people around you will actually help
  • Exhaustion and doubt in the early months are common, even when you're sure about the decision

Adoption

What this option involves

  • Your child is raised by a family you help choose
  • Open, semi-open, and closed arrangements are different, and you have a say in which one
  • Nothing is binding until you sign the consent after birth

What to consider

  • Carrying a pregnancy to term has its own medical course: prenatal care, delivery, and recovery
  • Once you sign the consent after birth it's usually final, and the exact point differs by state, so ask before you sign
  • Open-contact agreements aren't enforceable in every state, so what's promised may not be something a court will hold to
  • Grief is common even when the decision feels right

Who we are

Life Choices of Memphis

Life Choices of Memphis in Memphis

Life Choices of Memphis is a free pregnancy medical clinic in Memphis, Tennessee. Counselors and medical staff offer confidential services at no charge, and someone answers the phone around the clock.

5575 Raleigh-LaGrange Rd, Memphis, TN 38134

Call or text any time. Same-day and next-day appointments are often available.

(901) 388-6262

Life Choices is a safe, confidential, and free pregnancy help medical center.

Sources and medical review

Sources

Questions we hear

Can I get the abortion pill in Tennessee?

No. Tennessee bans abortion at every stage of pregnancy, so the abortion pill is not available here, and neither is a telehealth appointment for one. There's one narrow medical exception, and the law section spells out what it covers. Laws change, so confirm the current rules with a licensed provider or an attorney.

How early does the abortion pill work?

It only applies in an early window of pregnancy, which is why the number of weeks matters so much, and dates from memory are often off. A limited ultrasound replaces that guess with a measurement.

How long does the bleeding go on?

The heaviest stretch is usually a few hours, with bleeding heavier than a period and often clots. Lighter bleeding or spotting can then continue for days, sometimes a week or two. If you're soaking two full pads an hour for two hours, that's different and needs medical care right away.

What can Life Choices of Memphis do for me right now?

A free pregnancy test, a limited ultrasound, information about how abortion works, including the abortion pill, someone to talk your options through with, and someone to talk to after an abortion. Life Choices of Memphis describes itself as a safe, confidential, and free pregnancy help medical center. Call or text (901) 388-6262 at any hour.

Who will I see?
Our counselors and professional medical staff are here to offer you safe and confidential services free of charge!
Is there any cost or obligation?
All of our services are available at no charge– with no strings attached. We receive no financial gain from your decision.
Is what I tell you confidential?
Patient information is held in strict confidence, and all communication is handled with utmost discretion. Life Choices is compliant with all state and federal privacy laws.

See what a free visit in Memphis includes

Life Choices of Memphis offers free pregnancy testing and a private conversation in Memphis, TN. Talk with someone when you are ready.

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