Presented byHealthy & Free tennesseetennessee Association of Alcohol, drug & other Addiction services

Co-sponsored by sisterreach and ACLU of tennesseewith major support from national Advocates for Pregnant Women

OCtOber 1, 2015 8:00 am - 5:00 pmnashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University 2555 W. end Ave., nashville, tn

WeLCOMe Welcome to Pregnancy, Drug Use, and the Law, a one day public policy conference examining Tennessee law as it relates to pregnant women and new mothers, people who use and are sometimes dependent on drugs, and how we can create fair and effective policies that will support all Tennessee women and families.

Today’s panels and speakers will examine the impact of current policy, discuss the effectiveness of different options for treating mothers and infants who are experiencing health issues related to drug use, look at the impact of relying on the judicial system to address health concerns, and examine the implications of laws that specifically target pregnant women.

We appreciate your attendance and look forward to your input and participation throughout today. We hope you will stay involved in the coming months as we collectively work to ensure that Tennessee laws, policies and medical standards are based on evidence and meet the true needs of all women and families in our state.

Rebecca Terrell, Chair and Allison Glass, State Directorhealthy and free tennessee

Mary Linden Salter, Executive Directortennessee association of alcohol, drug and other addiction services

Cherisse Scott, Founder and CEO sisterreach

Lynn Paltrow, Executive Directornational advocates for pregnant women

Hedy Weinberg, Executive Directoramerican civil liberties union of tennessee

sPeCiAL nOte: You are invited and encouraged to stay on for the October 2-3 Symposium in this same hotel entitled “Pregnancy, Drug Use, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Research and Policies that Support Mothers, Babies and Families” presented by National Advocates for Pregnant Women and the National Perinatal Association. This symposium brings together experts and thought leaders from diverse sectors — medicine, public health, ethics and the law. Scholarships are available. More information is available from today’s conference organizers.

bACKGrOUndToday’s conference was designed in response to the 2014 passage of an amendment to Tennessee’s criminal assault laws. (TCA Section 39-13-107) One part of this law allows a woman to be charged with assault for the use of narcotics while pregnant if her child is born “addicted” to or harmed by the drug. The law’s proponents stated their intent was to address the increasing number of Tennessee babies born with a diagnosis of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS1).

The part of the law focusing on pregnant women and narcotic drug use created what is called an affirmative defense to prosecution. It says if the woman actively enrolls in an “addiction recovery program” before the child is born, remains in the program after delivery, and successfully completes the program, regardless of whether the child is born “addicted” to, dependent upon, or harmed by the narcotic drug then she can potentially avoid a conviction and incarceration. Unfortunately, an affirmative defense will not protect a woman from being arrested in the first place even if she is actively and fully engaged in treatment.

The 2014 revisions, however, were not limited to narcotic drug use. The 2014 law added language stating that “Nothing in subsection (a) [which allows for assault charges to be brought against persons who assault a fetus] shall apply to any lawful act or lawful omission by a pregnant woman with respect to an embryo or fetus with which she is pregnant.” In other words, the law gives the government power to punish women if they intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly (no intent needed) risk or cause bodily injury to fertilized eggs, embryos, or fetuses as a result of an “unlawful act” or an “unlawful omission.”

Under this law, women have been arrested for giving birth to babies who test positive for a non-narcotic drug and to babies who test positive for a drug but who were neither “addicted” to nor harmed by the exposure. Women have also been arrested for risking harm to a fetus by driving while pregnant without a seatbelt on and for fleeing from the police while pregnant. In addition, women have been arrested for giving birth to newborns who test positive for an opioid (narcotic) drug. Although the law directed to pregnant women who use narcotic drugs suggests that they would only be charged with a misdemeanor assault charge that carries a maximum one-year penalty, in fact women arrested under this law are being charged with both misdemeanor and felony charges that have penalties of up to 15 years in prison.

The implications for women charged under this law were heavily debated at the bill’s inception and advocates were able to stop an attempt in 2015 to add use of methamphetamine to the law. Since its passage in 2014, the law has been used to arrest more than a dozen women – some who have used narcotic drugs and some, as noted above, who have used no drugs at all. The majority of arrests were of low-income women and women of color.

The law makes the assumptions that every pregnant person who uses a narcotic drug needs treatment and that sufficient and affordable treatment programs are available. In fact, many pregnant women are prescribed narcotics by their physicians, and fewer than 20 of the 177 Tennessee’s addiction treatment facilities provide any addiction care for pregnant women and of those only a few provide prenatal care on site or allow older children to stay with their mothers. The requirement that a program be “completed” also rules out many successful and medically recommended forms of treatment for narcotic addiction that use ongoing medications.

The law is scheduled to sunset in 2016 unless revised or renewed.

1 NAS is a transitory and treatable set of symptoms that affect some but not all newborns exposed prenatally to opioids (including morphine, heroin, and oxycodone but not including such drugs as methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana).

COnFerenCe sPOnsOrs

Healthy and Free tennessee (HFtn) is a non-partisan coalition of groups and individuals working together to promote and protect sexual health and reproductive freedom across the state. We develop messages and action steps for advocates, educators, and providers; raise awareness and promote sexual health and reproductive freedom across the lifespan; and develop strategies to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of our citizens. HealthyandFreetn.org

tennessee Association of Alcohol, drug & other Addiction services (tAAdAs) is a statewide, consumer-oriented, association representing thousands of consumers in recovery, family members, healthcare professionals & providers. Our mission is to educate, support and engage our members and public, influence policy and advocate for prevention, treatment and recovery services. tAAdAs.org

sisterreach is a grassroots organization that empowers, organizes and mobilizes women and girls around their reproductive and sexual health. Our goal is to support women and girls to lead healthy lives, have healthy families and live in healthy communities by offering fundamental comprehensive education about their sexual and reproductive health. SisterReach is committed to education, policy and advocacy on the behalf of women and girls. sisterreach.org

national Advocates for Pregnant Women (nAPW) seeks to protect the rights and human dignity of all women, particularly pregnant and parenting women and those who are most vulnerable including low income women, women of color, and drug-using women. Our work encompasses legal advocacy; local and national organizing; public policy development, and public education. AdvocatesforPregnantWomen.org

the American Civil Liberties Union of tennessee (ACLU-tn) is dedicated to translating the guarantees of the Bill of Rights into reality for all Tennesseans. The principles ACLU-TN fights for include: the right to free speech and expression; the right to freely practice any religion or no religion; the right to equal treatment, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation; the right to reproductive freedom; and the right to privacy. ACLU-tn.org

COnFerenCe PrOGrAM8:00 am registration, Continental breakfast

8:30 am Welcome and Conference Overview rebecca terrell, Chair, Healthy & Free Tennessee

8:40 am Pregnancy & the Law in the 21st CenturyThis panel will take a look at national and international patterns of laws being used against people who are pregnant. We will also look specifically at Tennessee laws addressing pregnancy. What are the human and civil rights implications of the existence and enforcement of these laws at the state, national and international levels?

Lynn Paltrow, Director, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, NYC

tom Castelli, Legal Director, ACLU of Tennessee, Nashville, TN

Carrie eisert, Policy Analyst and Researcher, Amnesty International, NYC

9:40 am Policing Women’s bodies and reproductive injusticeThis panel will examine public policies related to pregnancy and women’s bodies through the lens of Reproductive Justice. We will look at examples of current policies in Tennessee that support or hinder women in having healthy pregnancies and healthy families.

Cherisse scott, Founder/CEO, SisterReach, Memphis, TN

Farah diaz-tello, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, NYC

dr. Joia Perry, OB/GYN, New Orleans, LA

shannon Casteel-derf, mother who has struggled with addiction

10:40 am break

11:00 am treatment Options for Pregnant Opioid Users in tennesseeThis panel will review available treatment options in our state for pregnant people who use opioids. We will discuss the importance of evidence-based protocols and of challenging media and public assumptions about drug using mothers. How do we distinguish substance use from substance abuse? What are the roles of poverty, racism, and trauma in addiction and in treatment protocols?

Mary-Linden salter, Executive Director, Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug Abuse and other Addiction Services (TAADAS), Nashville, TN

rod bragg, Assistant Commissioner for Substance Abuse Services, Tennessee Dept. of Mental Health, Nashville, TN

Jackie Pennings, Ph.d., Researcher, Tennessee Dept. of Mental Health, Nashville, TN

dr. Jessica young, M.d., Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, TN

Michelle Jones, Director, Mothers & Infants Sober Together (MIST)

Laura berlind, CEO, Renewal House, Nashville, TN

12:15 pm Lunch and Plenary

“Perinatal Addiction & Harm Reduction: Integrating the Hospital and Community to Improve Outcomes”dr. ron Abrahams is a Family Physician in Vancouver, Canada. He is the founding Medical Director of the FIR (Families In Recovery) rooming-in program at BCWH - the first of its kind in North America. The unit has been named a “leading practice” by the Canadian Council of Health Accreditation. He is in demand as an invited speaker nationally and internationally for his role in developing evidence-based Harm Reduction guidelines and protocols for women with problematic substance use in pregnancy.

1:30 pm Punishment vs. Treatment: Efficacy and EthicsTennessee’s fetal assault law was amended to permit the arrest of new mothers based on the argument that this would encourage pregnant women to seek help for addiction. Panelists will share their experience and expertise in assessing the impact of the law on real Tennesseans and the ethical implications of bringing a health issue under the jurisdiction of the criminal courts.

Josh spickler, esq., Shelby County Public Defender’s office, Memphis, TN

Zac talbott, Director, National Alliance for Medication Assisted (NAMA) Recovery, TN and GA Chapters

rachel brown, substance abuse and mental health treatment center counselor, Knoxville, TN

Jordan Frye, undergraduate research award recipient, University of Tennessee School of Social Work, Knoxville, TN

elaine Pawlowski, mother directly impacted by drug use, Daniel Island, South Carolina

3:00 pm break

3:15 pm Fair and effective Policies and Programs for Pregnant People in tennesseeWhat would a comprehensive set of fair and effective policies for pregnant women look like for TN? How can we learn from current models to develop best practices that take social factors into account in order to create both policy and culture change? What does the harm reduction model have to teach us about approaches based on compassion rather than punishment?

Farah diaz-tello, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, NYC

denicia Cadena, Young Women United, New Mexico

susan C. boyd, Ph.D., Studies in Policy and Practice, University of Victoria, Canada

daniel raymond, Harm Reduction Coalition, NYC

Mary-Linden salter, Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug and other Addiction Services (TAADAS), Nashville, TN

4:30–5:30 pm Closing reception

PAneLists & sPeAKersron Abrahams, M.d. is a Family Physician in Vancouver, Canada. He is the founding Medical Director of the FIR (Families In Recovery) rooming-in program at BCWH - the first of its kind in North America. The unit has been named a “leading practice” by the Canadian Council of Health Accreditation, cited in the 2007 Kroeger Award for maintaining a high quality of care and recently demonstrated peer reviewed improved outcomes. For his work during the last 30 years he has been recognized as an invited speaker nationally and internationally for his role in developing evidence based Harm Reduction guidelines and protocols for women with problematic substance use in pregnancy. He is an Associate of The School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and a Clinical Investigator with The Women’s Health Research Institute. He is a Consultant to The Austria-American Institute and the Open Society Foundation and on the Clinical Faculty of the Vermont Oxford Network (USA). Dr. Abrahams received the 2008 Kaiser Foundation National Award for Excellence in Leadership for Harm Reduction Programs.

Laura H. berlind is the CEO of Renewal House, Nashville’s first, largest, and most comprehensive family-centered treatment center and recovery community for women and their children. Women and their children receive licensed addiction and mental health care services, a safe place to live, the skills to make healthier choices, and the support to achieve a different way of life. Prior to Renewal House, Laura spent two years at Vanderbilt University and six years in the public finance department of Ambac Financial Group in New York, NY. Laura holds Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College and a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard University, where her work focused on the integral relationship between business and government in the public and nonprofit sectors. She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Nashville and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. She is currently serving as President of the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug and Other Addiction Services and as Vice Chair of the Statewide Planning and Policy Council for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

susan boyd, Phd, is a Professor in Studies in Policy and Practice, University of Victoria. She teaches courses on drug law and policy, theory and research methodology. Her research interests include drug law and policy, maternal-state conflicts, film and print media representations, women in conflict with the law and research methodology. She is the author of Hooked: Drug War Films from Britain, Canada, and the U.S. (2008) From Witches to Crack Moms: Women, Drug Law, and Policy (2004) and Mothers and Illicit Drugs: Transcending the Myths (1999), and co-author with Bud Osborn and Donald MacPherson of Raise Shit: Social Action Saving Lives (2009). She has published work in a number of scientific journals, and her academic background is augmented by her outreach work and community activism working with harm-reduction and anti-drug war groups.

rodney L. bragg is the Assistant Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Division of Substance Abuse Services where he is responsible for the statewide direction in the planning, development, administering, and evaluation of publicly funded services for Tennesseans with substance use and co-occurring disorders. He has a rich history in providing services in community based agencies working with persons with addictive disorders and serious mental illness, including implementing integrated co-occurring services. Rod previously served as the Director of Treatment and Recovery Services for Tennessee and Director of Mental Health Consumer Employment Services. Rod has a Master’s of Organizational Management degree from Trevecca University and a Master’s of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

rachel brown has been employed as a Residential Counselor at a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment Center since 2010. During her years of service to this agency, Rachel has become knowledgeable about the struggles faced by those who suffer from substance use and their families. Rachel received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Tennessee. During her undergraduate studies, Rachel helped conduct research regarding Public Charter 820 and participated in the construction of an analysis of this policy, which specifically focused on the criminalization of substance abuse during pregnancy. It was at this point that Rachel became passionate about Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and the societal implications that this problem involves. Rachel is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Social Work Advanced Standing Program at the University of Tennessee. Her degree concentration is public policy, management, and leadership. At this time, Rachel is working with an agency that serves mothers whose babies suffered from NAS through her field practicum.

denicia Cadena is the Policy and Cultural Strategy Director at Young Women United (YWU), an organizing and policy project by and for young women of color in New Mexico. Denicia is a queer chicana born and raised in Mesilla, New Mexico. She leads YWU’s communications strategies to move community based policy change and culture shift, and has deep experience working on issues of reproductive justice, racial justice, and queer justice. A proud sister, aunt, daughter, and friend–Denicia couldn’t imagine herself without all the strong women that have shaped her. As a welder and sculptor, Denicia knows that some ways of knowing and understanding can only be expressed through art. Denicia holds a BA in History with a concentration in Diaspora Studies from Amherst College.

shannon Casteel-derf is a mother of three from Tennessee who knows firsthand how difficult it can be to parent while struggling with addiction. Her personal experience has motivated her to share her story in order to decrease stigma and ensure that women get the support they truly need.

tom Castelli, Jd is the Legal Director of the ACLU of Tennessee. Prior to joining the ACLU-TN, Tom was in private practice in Middle Tennessee, focusing on representing the rights of public and private employees. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, ACLU-TN strives to ensure that every woman has the opportunity to make a real decision about her health and the ability to get the care she needs. ACLU-TN successfully challenged state law restrictions on a women’s right to an abortion in the Tennessee Supreme Court. With the passage of Amendment 1 removing these protections, ACLU-TN continues to protect against the increasing assaults on Tennesseans’ access to reproductive health care and is working to challenge egregious laws criminalizing pregnant women struggling with substance abuse.

Farah diaz-tello, Jd is the Senior Staff Attorney at the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Farah is a graduate of the City University of New York School of Law, where she was a Haywood Burns Fellow in Civil and Human Rights. Her work at NAPW has focused on the rights to medical decision-making and birthing with dignity, and on using the international human rights framework to protect the humanity of pregnant women regardless of their circumstances. A proud Texan, she is an alumna of the University of Texas at Austin.

Carrie eisert, Phd, is a Policy Analyst and Researcher for Amnesty International’s International Secretariat specializing in sexual and reproductive health and rights. As a team member of Amnesty’s “Criminalization of Sexuality and Reproduction” project, she is supporting the organization to analyze the human rights impacts of laws and policies regulating sexuality and reproduction globally. She is currently preparing a fact-finding report on criminalization of conduct in pregnancy in the US, with a focus on Tennessee.

Jordan Frye is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Bachelor of Science in Social Work program. During her undergraduate career, Jordan completed practicum placements with Helen Ross McNabb Center in the Children and Youth and the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office in the Social Services Department. Additionally, she participated in research pertaining to undergraduate social work education and the impact of community re-entry programs on recidivism among inmates. Jordan is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Social Work program at the University of Tennessee. Her studies focus on management, leadership, and community practice. Her practice interests include social welfare policy, community development, and decarceration.

Michelle Jones is a Licensed Clinical Social worker. She attended University of Maryland, received a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and went on to complete a Masters of Science in Social Work at the University of Tennessee, College of Social work. She has worked with women and families in addiction services including intensive outpatient, residential, and outpatient services.

Lynn Paltrow, Jd is the Executive Director and founder of National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW). She has worked on numerous cases challenging restrictions on the right to choose abortion as well as cases opposing the prosecution and punishment of pregnant women seeking to continue their pregnancies to term. Ms. Paltrow has also worked as a senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, as Director of Special Litigation at the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, and as Vice President for Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of New York City.

elaine Pawlowski is a retired educator who became an advocate after the loss of her son, Michael, to a drug overdose, and she currently lives in Daniel Island, South Carolina. She has written extensively about drug policy, recovery, and drug courts for the Huffington Post, and was an invited panelist in a forum on drug courts for the Open Society Institute. Ms. Pawlowski will be speaking at the 2015 Drug Policy Alliance conference in Washington, DC.

Jackie Pennings, Ph.d., is a researcher with the Tennessee Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS). She is working with TDMHSAS and other state departments to collect, analyze, and report data about substance abuse in Tennessee. She is also helping community substance abuse coalitions use data to identify local and regional needs. Jackie serves as primary staff to the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) through a grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Jackie is an Accredited Professional Statistician (Pstat®). She received her undergraduate degree from Belmont University in Nashville, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Texas Christian University.

Joia Adele Perry, Md, FACOG is Executive Director of the Birthing Project in New Orleans, LA. She was previously Director of Women’s and Children’s Services at Jefferson Community Healthcare Center. As the Director of Clinical Services, City of New Orleans Health Department, Dr. Perry was responsible for four facilities providing healthcare for the homeless, pediatric, WIC, and gynecologic services within the New Orleans clinical service area. Dr. Perry continues to work to improve access and availability to New Orleans’ citizens post the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005.

daniel raymond is the Policy Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition. Mr. Raymond has worked in the field of harm reduction for nearly two decades. His extensive experience spans direct service in syringe access to advocacy for drug user health and Hepatitis C treatment access. Currently, Mr. Raymond works in collaboration with a broad range of local, state, and national coalitions and advocacy groups to ensure syringe access expansion, the advancement of viral hepatitis treatments, and the effectiveness of HIV prevention and care programming through sound public health policy. He serves on the steering committee of the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable and has authored articles and numerous reports and resources for a national community of providers. Mr. Raymond is a frequent speaker on issues involving drug user health, policy, harm reduction, and innovations in Hepatitis C and HIV prevention and treatment.

Mary-Linden salter is Executive Director, Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug Abuse and other Addiction Services (TAADAS). Mary Linden is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked in Tennessee since 1996. Prior to taking this position, she was the Director of Network Services for Behavioral Health for United Healthcare, a TennCare managed care company. Formerly, she was the Manager for 6 years of a utilization review team for Magellan Behavioral Health, also a TennCare MCO, and the Managed Care Director for a County Board in Ohio. She has also worked in several clinical programs in Tennessee including the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody at Vanderbilt and as the IOP Program Director for Centerstone. Just prior to joining Americhoice, Mary Linden worked at the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations as the Director of Public Policy where she was involved in statewide policy analysis and development as well at state legislative initiatives.

Cherisse scott is the founder and CEO of SisterReach in Memphis, TN. Ms. Scott has worked as an educator, advocate and activist in Reproductive Justice for 10 years. Her work began in Chicago at Black Women for Reproductive Justice where she served on the board of directors and later worked as Health Educator/Campaigns Coordinator for the organization. In 2011, she founded SisterReach, currently the only Reproductive Justice organization in the state of Tennessee focused on empowering women and girls of color, poor and rural women with a strategy of education, faith, advocacy and policy. Learn more about her work at SisterReach.org.

Josh spickler, Jd is the Director of the Defender Resource Network at the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office, the third oldest public defender office in the country. He serves on the Memphis Bar Association’s Access To Justice Committee and speaks frequently about public defense and justice issues. He is an advisor to Just City, a Memphis-based criminal justice reform organization. In Shelby County, Josh has been helping track each of the criminal cases brought against new mothers under Tennessee’s first-of-its-kind fetal assault law. When he’s not wearing a suit, he is usually chasing his two boys alongside his wife, Ginger.

Zac talbott is the Director of the Tennessee statewide and Northwestern Georgia Chapters of the National Alliance for Medication Assisted (NAMA) Recovery, and is a Certified Medication Assisted Treatment Advocate (CMA). Zac came to this work after struggling with addiction to prescription pain medication while a Masters student at the UT College of Social Work, and then finding recovery through medication assisted treatment with methadone. He has since served as the Administrator of the Medication Assisted Recovery Services (MARS™) Project’s Peer Recovery Network, and was funded by a RCSP-SN grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a model of the MARS™ Project that would provide recovery support services for methadone and buprenorphine patients in rural areas of the country. He is a member of the National Board of Directors for the National Family Dialogue on Substance Use Disorders.

rebecca terrell is Executive Director of CHOICES, an independent non-profit reproductive health clinic in Memphis, TN which provides a broad range of services including gynecology, family planning, STI testing and treatment, transgender hormone management, LGBT health services, first trimester abortions, fertility services including inseminations, and is planning to add a free-standing birth center within the next two years. She is the founding Chair of Healthy & Free Tennessee, a statewide coalition working to promote sexual health and protect reproductive freedom. Ms. Terrell holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Florida State University. She has more than 30 years of executive experience with non-profits in the arts, academia and health care.

Jessica young, Md, is an assistant professor in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She completed medical school, ob-gyn residency, and a Masters in Public Health at Vanderbilt prior to joining the faculty in 2011. Shortly after that, she started the Vanderbilt Obstetric Drug Dependency Clinic where she treats pregnant women with substance abuse disorders. This is one of the few programs in Tennessee that integrates prenatal care with substance abuse treatment.

For access to a taped recording and/or executive summary of today’s conference, for more information on these issues, or to contact a panelist, speaker or sponsor, please contact Allison@HealthyandFreetn.org

nOtes

1726 Poplar Avenue | Memphis, tn 38104 | 901-791-9385 | HealthyandFreetn.org

AbOUtHealthy and Free Tennessee is a non-partisan coalition of groups and individuals working together to promote and protect sexual health and reproductive freedom across the state.

There is power in a collective voice and in collective action. Healthy and Free Tennessee provides a unique opportunity for a broad range of people and organizations, including those focused on specific health issues or communities, to work together to improve our state’s sexual and reproductive health and to protect the ability of each person to make their own health care decisions.

We are working to develop messages and action steps for advocates, educators, and providers; raise awareness and promote sexual health and reproductive justice across the lifespan; and to lay out a clear strategy for meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of our citizens.

MissiOnTo promote sexual health and reproductive freedom in Tennessee by advancing policies and practices that recognize these elements as essential to the overall well-being of our citizens.

JOin Us!Becoming a Coalition Partner will allow you to strengthen relationships, engage in joint action, help develop statewide strategies, promote your work, and make a difference in Tennessee! Partners will receive HFTN emails, and will be listed on the HFTN website.

Join today by visiting HealthyandFreetn.org!