Tennessee Bill To Ban Abortions Taken Off Notice Due To GOP Leadership Resistance
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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Legislation that would ban abortions in the state of Tennessee was taken off notice last week in the House Health Committee.
The bill was taken off notice without explanation in the committee so The Tennessee Conservative reached out to the bill sponsor for clarification on why the bill was removed from consideration.
Representative Rebecca Alexander (R-Jonesborough-District 7) told us that, “Regrettably, the Senate decided to not move forward with the bill. Tennesseans are overwhelmingly pro-family and pro-life and I believe our laws and policies should reflect a commitment to protecting the precious gift of life at every stage. We will absolutely continue to fight for the unborn until we eliminate the practice of abortion.”
House Bill 2779 sought to ban all abortions in Tennessee except those that would prevent death or “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” of the mother.
Alexander said that the bill was modeled after similar legislation that was passed in Texas. The passing of that legislation resulted in around a 60% decrease in the number of abortions performed in the state.
The bill would also have allowed any individual to sue those who help women to obtain abortions. This not only includes physicians who perform abortions, but also includes anyone who “aids and abets” abortions by paying for or reimbursing someone else for paying for an abortion. If it had passed, individuals could have been sued for up to $10,000.
We previously reported that some Senate Republicans voiced their lack of support for the legislation.
Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge-District 5), who presides over the Tennessee Senate, stated that he would not offer his support for the legislation citing a presumed conflict with the state’s “heartbeat” abortion law that is currently the subject of a case in federal court.
McNally stated that HB2779 / SB2582 would make the matters for Tennessee’s current abortion law more complicated.
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Senator Ken Yager, (R-Kingston-District 12), stated that giving individuals a cause of action by allowing the pursuit of civil penalties for procedures unrelated to them personally could capsize the current tort of law.
McNally stated that he spoke with Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-District 17), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, about his concerns and said that he hoped the legislation would not advance in the Senate.
Senator Pody told WLPN News last week that he hoped the Senate would hear the bill but expressed the pushback coming from GOP leadership. “We’ve been working with the governor’s office, and at this point, they’re uncomfortable having this bill going through … They felt it could cause some confusion in the courts.”
Pody also stated that he has agreed to bring the bill back next year and that Representative Alexander has as well.
Of the resistance from the GOP Leaders, Pody said, “I don’t agree with their logic. However, as we’re going through, the goal in the end for me is to find any way I can to get this piece of legislation passed.”
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
When will these people learn, they work for us. The people in Tennessee are Pro-Life and that is the way the vote should always go. Sickening
Baby killing treasonous RINOS that make up the vast majority of TN Republicans is why this year, for the first time in my life, I am voting 3rd party only. There are no MAGA on the ballot in TN. I will also not financially support the Republican party in general, only MAGA verified candidates, and those are all in other states. TN is a cesspool of filthy RINOS.
I guess they believe in Murder also.
Maternity/ NICU RN. Here. Rinos disgust me. There is almost never a reason to harm the baby. Almost never.
Don’t get cocky. 70% of Americans are happy with abortion laws the way they are.
Also, since 1975 there have been 20 million abortions. How many of those Moms
do you think were Republicans? If not for those abortions, Dems would control the US because there would be 20 million more Dem voters. If the Dems get control of the US, it will become Marxist and conservatives will be persecuted.
Most Americans don’t understand the abortion laws. Recent events have revealed just how far from the mainstream the abortion lobby is. They’re fine with fire bombs and threatening the SCOTUS justices. It is untenable to leave things like this. It’s the civil rights issue of our time because the US abortion laws are on par with North Korea and Communist China.
Abortion! Where will the next, or future generations come from, when the children are killed in the womb? It is the children and their children that speak of the existence of past generations that established a nation, state, county, and cities. It takes the pre-born to validate the for-bears purpose of living. Without the children, and the promise of their children there is no justification of life.
So proud of State Senator Pody standing up for the innocent unborn. Christianity shouldn’t stop at the Capitol door. Thank you, State Senator Pody