Bill Prohibiting Local Governments From Funding Abortions Passes Senate Committee
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
A bill that would prevent governments from providing funding to employees seeking an out-of-state abortion made its way through the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 0600 (SB0600), sponsored by State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28), would prevent any city, county, or metropolitan government from spending taxpayer dollars for the purposes of directly or indirectly assisting a person in obtaining an abortion.
After Hensley explained the intent of the bill, the floor was opened for questions.
Senator London Lamar (D-Memphis-District 33) asked Hensley repeatedly if he believed that a hospital should lose its funding for administering an abortion if a woman was dying or experiencing an ectopic pregnancy.
Each time, Hensley stated that the bill was not dealing with hospitals. He reiterated numerous times that the bill was just dealing with public entities paying for abortions.
Following this, there were no additional questions so a roll call vote was taken.
The bill was passed with 7 ayes. Senator Lamar and Senator Sara Kyle (D-Memphis-District 30) both voted against the bill.
The legislation will be referred to the Senate Calendar Committee for scheduling to be heard on the Senate floor.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
