The Tennessee attorney general's office has issued subpoenas to four medical groups, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a hospital run by Ascension, demanding records of abortions performed over recent years. The subpoenas are part of a lawsuit challenging the narrow exceptions to the state's near-total abortion ban, according to court documents obtained by the Guardian.
The subpoenas, issued this spring, broadly request extensive information about abortions provided since 2022, including the number of procedures and, in some cases, all related documents and communications. Medical providers are legally permitted to preserve patient confidentiality, and a protective order blocks the records from being used outside the lawsuit, potentially marking anonymised data as confidential.
Legal experts warn the sweeping requests could have a chilling effect on doctors. Mary Ziegler, a professor at the University of California, Davis, said the subpoenas send a message that every decision, even those legally justified under exceptions, will be second-guessed. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Tennessee women and doctors, seeks to broaden the ban's exceptions, which they argue are too vague and force delays in emergency care.
Tennessee argues its exceptions are workable, citing a 2025 legislative clarification. However, doctors across the US have reported that vague exception language in abortion bans leads to delayed or denied care. At least five pregnant women have died under similar bans in Georgia and Texas, and sepsis cases among pregnant women have risen in Texas since Roe v Wade was overturned.
