Vote no on HB 883!
On Tuesday, February 14, HB883 passed in the Population Health Subcommittee. In the words of Constitutional expert Paul Linton, this legislation, “entirely rewrites state law (Human Life Protection Act) and in doing so, creates an abortion law that would be, in practice, if not in principle, unenforceable.”
The language of the bill was unavailable to TRL (and the general public) until Monday afternoon and the committee hearing was held Tuesday afternoon. This bill takes a 2 page law (HLPA) and turns it into a 9 page exception. It seeks to take Tennessee from a state that no longer allows unborn children to be aborted (with a provision for the life of the mother) to a state where our protections for unborn children are “unenforceable.”
When Subcommittee members were asked to at least delay the vote for a week, TRL was told by more than one member that House Speaker Cameron Sexton had made it clear that he wanted the bill to be passed and moved on to the full Health Committee.
The bill was presented by Sponsor Esther Helton-Haynes as the "Life of the Mother, Post Dobbs Cleanup Act". In her remarks, Helton claimed that the bill would protect mothers and babies.
In reality, this is a bill aimed at protecting physicians and would offer cover for those who abort children in our state.
This new legislation that is being billed as a simple “cleanup” allows:
- Physicians to abort unborn children if they believe there is a “lethal fetal anomaly” or if they think a baby has a condition that is “incompatible with life”. The definitions of these circumstances are broad and left up to the discretion of the physician alone.
- Physicians who are accused of an illegal abortion to go before a state medical board to pre-determine whether or not the law has been violated.
- Physicians to end the life of a baby if they claim it is to PREVENT or treat a medical emergency. So a baby could be aborted to prevent a condition that may never happen. In Linton’s opinion, “that wording alone would effectively nullify the prohibition of abortion in Tennessee.”
It is telling that those lobbying in favor of the bill in the halls of the legislature and in the committee room were not pro-life organizations. In fact, most are organizations and individuals who have opposed legislation that TRL has supported in the past to save unborn children and their mothers. Also, every pro-abortion Democrat on the subcommittee voted in favor of this bill. It is very clear that they realize that this would open the door to allow for legal abortion, and they know that once the chipping away of the HLPA starts, it won’t stop until it is repealed in its entirety.
Tragically, some pro-life legislators have been deceived into supporting this bill as well, because they have been told that it will only clarify for those times when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. It simply isn’t true. This bill creates large loopholes.
The Tennessee Medical Association and the hospital lobbyists were allowed to help draft HB883 while Tennessee Right to Life was not consulted in the process. However, in order to appease the pro-life legislators needed to pass the measure, these organizations and House leadership are claiming it is a pro-life bill.
These organizations have never introduced pro-life legislation that would require a 48 Hour Waiting Period or that would mandate Informed Consent before an abortion. They have never supported measures like the ban on abortions after 20 weeks or lobbied for the Abortion Pill Reversal Act. They couldn’t even get on board with the Fetal Remains Act. These are not pro-life organizations.
Tennessee Right to Life brought forward and supported these prolife measures. TRL made sure that, even under Roe, laws were passed to protect unborn children and their mothers. But now previously avowed pro-life lawmakers are dismissing TRL concerns and supporting this bill.
The bill was rolled on Wednesday, February 22nd and is rescheduled for the full Health Committee on Wednesday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. Please contact the members of the committee and ask that they protect Tennessee's unborn children and pro-life laws and vote NO on HB883.
Vote no on HB 883!
On Tuesday, February 14, HB883 passed in the Population Health Subcommittee. In the words of Constitutional expert Paul Linton, this legislation, “entirely rewrites state law (Human Life Protection Act) and in doing so, creates an abortion law that would be, in practice, if not in principle, unenforceable.”
The language of the bill was unavailable to TRL (and the general public) until Monday afternoon and the committee hearing was held Tuesday afternoon. This bill takes a 2 page law (HLPA) and turns it into a 9 page exception. It seeks to take Tennessee from a state that no longer allows unborn children to be aborted (with a provision for the life of the mother) to a state where our protections for unborn children are “unenforceable.”
When Subcommittee members were asked to at least delay the vote for a week, TRL was told by more than one member that House Speaker Cameron Sexton had made it clear that he wanted the bill to be passed and moved on to the full Health Committee.
The bill was presented by Sponsor Esther Helton-Haynes as the "Life of the Mother, Post Dobbs Cleanup Act". In her remarks, Helton claimed that the bill would protect mothers and babies.
In reality, this is a bill aimed at protecting physicians and would offer cover for those who abort children in our state.
This new legislation that is being billed as a simple “cleanup” allows:
- Physicians to abort unborn children if they believe there is a “lethal fetal anomaly” or if they think a baby has a condition that is “incompatible with life”. The definitions of these circumstances are broad and left up to the discretion of the physician alone.
- Physicians who are accused of an illegal abortion to go before a state medical board to pre-determine whether or not the law has been violated.
- Physicians to end the life of a baby if they claim it is to PREVENT or treat a medical emergency. So a baby could be aborted to prevent a condition that may never happen. In Linton’s opinion, “that wording alone would effectively nullify the prohibition of abortion in Tennessee.”
It is telling that those lobbying in favor of the bill in the halls of the legislature and in the committee room were not pro-life organizations. In fact, most are organizations and individuals who have opposed legislation that TRL has supported in the past to save unborn children and their mothers. Also, every pro-abortion Democrat on the subcommittee voted in favor of this bill. It is very clear that they realize that this would open the door to allow for legal abortion, and they know that once the chipping away of the HLPA starts, it won’t stop until it is repealed in its entirety.
Tragically, some pro-life legislators have been deceived into supporting this bill as well, because they have been told that it will only clarify for those times when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. It simply isn’t true. This bill creates large loopholes.
The Tennessee Medical Association and the hospital lobbyists were allowed to help draft HB883 while Tennessee Right to Life was not consulted in the process. However, in order to appease the pro-life legislators needed to pass the measure, these organizations and House leadership are claiming it is a pro-life bill.
These organizations have never introduced pro-life legislation that would require a 48 Hour Waiting Period or that would mandate Informed Consent before an abortion. They have never supported measures like the ban on abortions after 20 weeks or lobbied for the Abortion Pill Reversal Act. They couldn’t even get on board with the Fetal Remains Act. These are not pro-life organizations.
Tennessee Right to Life brought forward and supported these prolife measures. TRL made sure that, even under Roe, laws were passed to protect unborn children and their mothers. But now previously avowed pro-life lawmakers are dismissing TRL concerns and supporting this bill.
The bill was rolled on Wednesday, February 22nd and is rescheduled for the full Health Committee on Wednesday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. Please contact the members of the committee and ask that they protect Tennessee's unborn children and pro-life laws and vote NO on HB883.