Posted on 10/15/2014 9:35:02 AM PDT by Morgana
All eyes are on Tennessee. Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State, Music City USA, home of Elvis Presley, Beale Street, the buckle of the Bible belt, and the Great Smokey Mountains. Now it has another moniker…abortion destination of the Southeast. Tennessee ranks as the third state nationally for out of state women coming to get their abortions.
This occurred because the ACLU and Planned Parenthood sued the people of Tennessee in a lawsuit known as Planned Parenthood vs. Sundquidst. Planned Parenthood sued to remove three regulations around abortion that had been voted into place by bi-partisan legislators. These were informed consent, 48 hour waiting period, and that later term abortions must be done in hospital settings. The ruling was announced September 15, 2000 in their favor by the TN Supreme Court, and with it a broad right to an abortion in our state Constitution was discovered. This prevented any regulation from being enforced that could not pass a strict scrutiny standard.
This lawsuit emboldened an abortionist who opened two facilities to sue when the Department of Health tried to inspect the centers and demand that he meet the standards of same day surgery centers. He prevailed in court by saying he was operating under a doctor’s office license and did not have to meet these regulations unless he performed a substantial number of abortions. The court did not define what constitutes a substantial number leaving it unanswered; so he was now free to operate using this loophole. Others followed suit. Just google how to get an abortion in Tennessee, the two unregulated centers pop up on the top of the list. They even offer a discount coupon for out of state women coming for abortions.
The dissenting judge from the 2000 decision advised the only remedy for the people was to enact an amendment to the constitution stating that it was silent on the issue of abortion and allowing the people to once again speak through their elected legislators to enact regulations around abortions. Amending the Constitution is an arduous process. It must pass the General Assembly by a simple majority, followed by a super majority, appear on the ballot in a year that a Governor is elected and pass by at least 50% plus one of the number of votes cast for Governor.
Game on in Tennessee. This is a watershed moment. If Tennesseans prevail, it will encourage 15 other states that were similarly attacked in the courts by the abortion industry to follow our lead. If it fails, it will embolden the abortion industry to attack the remaining 34 states as needed with their winning strategy.
The campaign to vote No is calling their out of state forces for support. 94% of their donations are from other state affiliates of Planned Parenthood and their ally ACLU. The Yes on One forces have strong grassroots but are being outspent 3-1.
The abortion industry is blanketing the media market with ads leaving the strong impression that this amendment would ban abortion even in the case of the mother’s life. The second ad is just as egregious. It infers that a rape victim may be denied an abortion. They are acting like Roe vs. Wade never happened. Either that or they are treating Tennesseans like they are civically illiterate.
All eyes are on Tennessee. Check out Yes on One or like them on Facebook to follow this monumental fight.
Due to the way the amendment process works here in Tennessee, people who support amendment 1 should not vote for governor. The total number of votes for governor determines the number of votes needed to pass. Our Governor will not lose.
BTTT
...and the birthplace of David Crockett.
“Due to the way the amendment process works here in Tennessee, people who support amendment 1 should not vote for governor. The total number of votes for governor determines the number of votes needed to pass. Our Governor will not lose.”
Exactly. I would not vote for pantywaist Haslam anyway, but since it helps Yes on Amendment 1 to keep the vote totals in the governor’s race down, that’s even more reason not to vote for governor.
If Texas bolts TN will support them and follow.
I wish TN would be the first to bolt but it is unlikely.
TN militia fought and died at the Alamo. All of them died.
“If Texas bolts TN will support them and follow. I wish TN would be the first to bolt but it is unlikely.”
I’m with you.
Way to Go Tennessee.
I’m from Texas but I don’t mention Texas every time another state is mentioned.
Great State, Tennessee, home of the Grand Old Opry, Dolly Parton, as said Smokey Mountains are beautiful.
We have Vote Yes signs all over the place around here. Our local paper has been carrying comments and Letters to the Editor about it for quite a while. The vote No crowd is trying to spread a lot of mis-information but most Tennesseans are very much pro-life and the Vote Yes comments have outnumber the No by quite a bit.
I haven’t seen one Vote No yard sign anywhere in my part of Tennessee. Lots of “Yes on One” signs.
and they’re voting on abolishing income taxes too?
They don’t have a state income tax and the legislators have attempted to sneak one through in the past, resulting in hordes of angry Tennesseeans descending upon the capitol building, surrounding it while blowing their car and truck horns.
They’re voting on banning it, which would preclude such an end-run.
Voting on an amendment to deny the ability to tax income, unless changed by a future amendment.
good. Then the left would have to undo that before trying for an income tax. Of course if they try they’ll just get a judge to throw it out on some technicality
We are making the constitution clearer in that there cannot be an income tax period.
Tennessee is like many southern states, it bewilders people elsewhere and even here sometimes, but state government still has a lot of Democrats and leftist schemes do get through from time to time, despite voting fairly reliably Republican in national elections. Witness: TennCare.
I haven’t seen any Vote No signs either. I have seen a few letters in the paper from pro-abortion women but not too many. They get shot down pretty fast the next day by the pro-life crowd. :-)
Remember, it wasn't because of the Supreme Court that Algore lost. It was because 40,000 Tennesseans did not vote for him and he lost the state as a result. That's why he lost to W.
bump
Just so no one believes PP’s lies
Amendment 1:
Shall Article I of the Constitution of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated section:
“Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.”
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