The dangerous constitutional amendment that would take away the right to abortion in Tennessee is back again. This year two resolutions, HJR61 and HJR66, have been introduced and both will be heard on Tuesday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m. in the House Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee in Room 30.
Both resolutions begin “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion…..”
HJR61 by Rep. Henry Fincher (D-Cookeville), calls for exceptions for rape, incest, and the heath of the mother. HJR66 by Rep. Debra Maggart (R-Hendersonville) does not contain exceptions.
Please contact members of the House Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee (http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/committees/sub-phfa.html) and your own state representative and tell them to vote NO on HJR61 and HJR66. The easiest way to identify your legislator is to go to www.capitol.tn.gov. If you type in your address and city and click “search” you will learn your state senator and state representative.
Talking Points
- HJR61 and HJR66 are both all-out attacks on Tennessee women and seekto rob them of their right to make choices about their own health, safety and personal welfare.
- Historically, the State and United States Constitutions have been amended to expand rights, not to take away rights.
- Despite what the anti-choice forces are telling legislators, there are a number of Tennessee laws which already regulate abortion, including parental consent, a ban on late-term abortions and patient informed consent.
- The number of abortions in Tennessee is declining and the focus should be on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies by providing education and resources, not on taking away privacy rights.
Background
The introduction of HJR61 and HJR66 is the result of the ACLU/Planned Parenthood victory in the Tennessee Supreme Court. We successfully challenged several restrictions in the Tennessee Abortion Statute, including the mandates that a woman seeking an abortion could only receive state-mandated information and counseling from a physician, and that she must subsequently wait 48-72 hours before returning to have the abortion performed. In September 2000, the Tennessee Supreme Court issued a momentous decision affirming a woman’s right to privacy as it pertains to her right to obtain an abortion.
