Tennessee elected officials met on Wednesday at the White House to discuss reproductive rights in America.
According to a statement from the Tennessee legislature, Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), Senate Democratic Caucus chairwoman Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis), and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), were among 81 state legislators that were invited to speak on “Republican attacks on reproductive rights, as well as state efforts to protect and expand access to abortion care.”
This meeting came days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“We are approaching the anniversary of the Dobbs decision and we are highlighting the importance of a woman’s choice at this convening,” said Akbari. “In Tennessee, there is no exception for rape or incest, fatal fetal anomalies, or the true health needs of the mom. We’re committed to the cause of reproductive freedom and we will continue this fight until every family can make these private health decisions for themselves — without interference from politicians,” she said.
On August 25, 2022, a Tennessee law went into effect that made providing abortions a felony. As the Memphis Flyer reported in August, the Human Life Protection Act “was passed in 2019 just in case the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade.”
The law only allows an abortion in Tennessee if giving birth would kill the pregnant woman or would prevent “serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function.”
There have been bills passed in the legislative session that Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood have categorized as a “forced” birth agenda such as SB0600 that “prohibits local governments from expending funds for the purposes of assisting a person in obtaining a criminal abortion.” Planned Parenthood has been vocal about their opposition to these bans, as they are also working to navigate through this legislation.
“We will keep fighting for a full repeal of Tennessee’s abortion ban, because that’s the only way to give people the options they deserve,” said Kristal Knight, board chair for Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood.
Lamar stated that reproductive healthcare is an important issue for her to advocate for, due to the “staggering state of women’s health in Tennessee.”
“At a time when women’s freedom has been stripped away in Tennessee, it’s more important than ever that we join forces with the executive branch to evaluate strategies to advance support for women’s access to healthcare,” said Lamar. “The White House recognizes the gravity of this moment and I’m honored to partner with them for Tennessee families.”
Lamar and Representative Karen Camper (D-Memphis) sponsored HB0829, that sought to “delete and revise various provisions of present law concerning abortion and reproduction.” According to the Tennessee General Assembly, this would have deleted criminal offenses related to public schools, the Tennessee Abortion-Inducing Drug Risk Protocol Act, and a requirement that “induced terminations or pregnancy be reported to the office of vital records,” among other things.
While this bill failed, organizations such as Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood expressed their support for the bill, stating that “all Tennesseans deserve access to the full spectrum of reproductive care, including abortion.”
The organization also voiced their support for HB1084, which proposed that the offenses related to “criminal abortions,” should not include contraceptives such as hormonal birth control and emergency contraceptives. This bill also failed.
