Tennessee’s Amendment 1 is the latest and most dangerous and intrusive push by extreme conservatives and the religious right to trample upon Tennessean’s right to privacy. It takes family planning away from the kitchen table and puts in in the hands of the Republican supermajority in Tennessee’s state legislature.
The amendment is confusing. That is no accident. It is by intent. With a wink-wink, supporters are quick to claim that the amendment “does not prohibit abortion.” So if the amendment doesn’t restrict abortion, why write and introduce it? Simply, Amendment 1 wipes the slate clean on the protections granted by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2000 that upheld a woman’s right to privacy and choice. Without those protections, extremist conservative legislators can introduce a whole host of bills restricting choice, exacting legal penalties, controlling contraceptive measures, and eliminating women’s health facilities.
If you want to know the full intent of this issue, one only needs to look at the sponsors and supporters of the amendment. Crafted in 2011, the Amendment 1 was sponsored by Sen. Mae Beavers from Mt. Juliet. You may remember her for her sponsoring and support of such legislation as guns in parks and parking lots, no expansion of Medicaid, drug testing for welfare recipients, promoting electric chair executions, and other extreme right positions. Her co-sponsors are the usual suspects also known for their far-right, cultural war legislation. The organization behind the amendment is Yeson1.org. It is funded by more than 80 Tennessee Catholic and Protestant churches, the Tea Party, and David Fowler’s Family Action Council of Tennessee—all organizations whose anti-choice fervor is well known.
Christian poll-takers are saying the Amendment 1 race is 50-50. More objective polls place the ratio at 71 percent opposed to the amendment and tampering with current privacy and protection rights. One needs to only look at the hundreds of campaign signs plastered all over our area to know that there is a desperation to ban abortions and control women’s health issues
It all comes down to one single question: Do you want to surrender your rights to plan your family and protect your privacy to extremist conservative state government legislators who know nothing about you and your needs to interfere in your day-to-day life?
This is a very bad amendment. Vote “No.”
Greg Williams
Signal Mountain