( CNN ) -- A bill is headed for the governor 's desk in Tennessee that would allow for a woman to be prosecuted if she illegally takes drugs while pregnant and the child is harmed . Known as SB1391 , the bill passed both the Senate and the House last week . Once his office receives the legislation , Gov . Bill Haslam will have 10 days , not including Sundays , to act on it . `` We all want to promote healthy pregnancies by providing pregnant women struggling with a drug or alcohol dependency with the opportunity to seek the best possible prenatal care and substance abuse treatment , '' Hedy Weinberg , executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee , wrote in a letter to Haslam this week . `` However , policies that threaten women with criminal prosecution and the loss of their children drive women away from health care and discourage them from seeking invaluable prenatal and pregnancy-related care . SB1391 is constitutionally unsound and enacting this law would threaten the health and well-being of Tennessee women and their families . We urge you to veto this dangerous legislation . '' The governor 's office declined to say whether Haslam would sign the bill . `` As with all legislation , the governor will review the bill in its final form before taking action , '' Laura Herzog , a spokeswoman for the governor , said in an e-mail to CNN . She stressed that the current form of the bill includes the following provisions : . -- The charge would be limited to a misdemeanor ; . -- An offense would only occur if there is the illegal use of a narcotic drug ; . -- Women who seek treatment while they 're pregnant and complete the program would not be charged . Such stipulations , however , do not go far enough , according to critics of the bill such as Jeff Teague , president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee . `` One of our primary concerns is making sure women have healthy pregnancies and then healthy children , and the big concern here is that this is going to frighten women away from the treatment they need for a healthy pregnancy , as well as treatment for any substance abuse issues that they have . Teague added : `` It 's of particular concern in rural areas because there 's not enough facilities that have the ability to provide addiction counseling for pregnant women . '' Attempts to contact sponsors of the bill -- Sen. Reginald Tate , a Democrat , and Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver , a Republican -- were unsuccessful Thursday . According to the Tennessee Department of Health , more than 900 newborns in Tennessee in 2013 experienced withdrawal from drugs their mothers used while pregnant . The department reports a nearly ten-fold rise in the incidence of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome in Tennessee over the past decade . If the bill becomes law , Tennessee would become the first state to authorize the filing of assault charges when a fetus or newborn is found to be harmed by illegal narcotics , according to a Wednesday op-ed in The New York Times that called for Haslam to veto the legislation . `` He can show he truly cares about protecting pregnant women , children and families by vetoing the bill , as specialists in obstetric medicine and drug addiction , as well as women 's rights groups have urged , '' the editorial read . `` As Governor Haslam should see , the measure is about punishing women â€ ” mainly poor minority women â€ ” not getting them into treatment or protecting their babies . ''
Bill would allow for a woman to be prosecuted if she illegally takes drugs while pregnant . Comment: In 2013 , 900+ newborns in Tennessee experienced withdrawal from drugs .