NASHVILLE, April 2, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Senate of Tennessee has overwhelmingly passed a measure to amend the state constitution to remove a guarantee for a “right” to abortion, should Roe v. Wade be overturned. The Senate vote, 23-6, passed the measure which must now be passed by the House of Representatives and go on to the public in the next election.
The wording of the measure says that ‘‘nothing in the Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or the funding thereof.” Democrats in the Senate attempted an amendment to guarantee abortions in cases of rape or incest. The wording of the measure was changed to allow the legislature to provide exceptions for those cases, however, the measure’s supporters say that there are no guarantees and the wording takes the matter out of the hands of the courts. Pro-life supporters of the measure are calling it a victory. A representative of Tennessee Right to Life said, “it is never a sure thing, but we have a majority in the House and we are working hard for 2006.”
Brian Harris, president of Tennessee Right to Life, said it was not only a victory for the rights of the unborn but a blow to the ‘‘activist, pro-abortion judges who show contempt for human life.” He said, “This should be decided by the people and their elected representatives.”
In September 2000, the Tennessee Supreme Court struck down portions of the abortion law, including a two-day cooling off period for women seeking abortions, a requirement that a woman be fully informed about abortion, and a requirement that all second-trimester abortions be done in a hospital. The court called the law “overly burdensome” to women.
The Tennessean.com coverage: https://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/04/03/49191025.shtml?Element_ID=49191025