No Husband, No Healthcare? Unmarried Woman Denied Prenatal Care

An unmarried woman in rural Tennessee says she was denied prenatal care by her doctor. The reason? Her physician said caring for an unwed woman having a baby was in conflict with their Christian faith.

That a doctor who took the Hippocratic Oath could turn down caring for a pregnant woman because of their marital status was once unthinkable. But the case – believed to be the first of its kind not only in Tennessee, but in the entire country – is entirely legal thanks to Tennessee’s 2025 Medical Ethics Defense Act.

That law, which went into effect earlier this year, allows physicians in Tennessee to refuse healthcare to patients on moral, ethical, and religious grounds. 

Under the new guidelines, procedures like abortions, providing gender-affirming care, prescribing contraception, and prenatal care can all be denied to patients, with no protections for Tennesseans in rural communities where there may be only one doctor or specialist available for miles. Doctors aren’t even required to make a referral to patients they refuse to treat.

Now, the unmarried pregnant woman is forced to seek prenatal care hours away in Virginia, and admits her fear that in an emergency, local physicians may choose the life of the fetus over her own. She says that her pregnancy – which should be a source of joy – has instead turned into a point of existential dread.

Is “Do No Harm” Out the Window?

The story broke at a recent town hall meeting in Jonesborough, Tennessee where the unnamed woman first told her story. She said she went to a local physician for her first prenatal care treatment and was abruptly denied treatment when the doctor learned of her marital status.

He reportedly said his “Christian values” morally prevented him from providing her medical care, and that Tennessee’s new law legally allowed him to do so.

The woman’s been with her partner for 15 years. They have a 13-year-old child together. They plan to raise their new child in a happy, well-adjusted home with a mother and father. They just happen to be unmarried – and that was enough for the doctor to turn her away on faith grounds.

The woman says that she doesn’t believe her doctor is exhibiting the Christian values they claim to espouse.

“I don't understand how you can stand on Christian values and use the Bible as your justification while actively going against all of Christ's teachings,” she said of her physician. “If you are ‘pro-life,’ you believe in supporting and protecting all lives: the born, [and] the unborn.”

Healthcare Community Responds

Many commenters online were incensed at the woman’s treatment, arguing that the doctor violated the Hippocratic Oath when they turned the woman away simply for being unmarried.

“Name this doctor who is afraid to do their job because they believe in magic,” wrote one Instagram user. “So much for pro-life,” wrote another.

Many in online healthcare communities wondered if they could deny care to Christians on similar moral objections. “As a doc and member of the LGBTQ community, would like to point out that I didn't choose to be gay,” wrote one Reddit user. “However, these Republican lawmakers chose to propose this bill and are engaging in a lifestyle that I vehemently oppose. Can I deny them care without fear of repercussions?” 

“Cool,” added one nurse, “it’s not in my beliefs to treat conservative Christians.”

Still others pointed out the hypocrisy that Jesus Christ would be refused healthcare by this doctor if such a law existed in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. “Wasn't Jesus born to an unwed mother?” pondered one Instagram commenter. As another put it, “So I guess Mary would have been SOL.”

What is your reaction? Should doctors be able to deny care to patients on religious grounds?