Tennessee Abortion Ban Voted Down in House Committee, But Stay Tuned
The effort to ban abortion in this state was voted down today in a House Committee stacked with Democratic women.
The party line vote on SJR 127 was 4-3.
Representatives Lois DeBerry (D-Memphis), Sherry Jones (D-Nashville), Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis) and Joanne Favors (D-Chattanooga) voted against the measure.
Rep. Mary Pruitt (D-Nashville) abstained.
Representatives voting in support of the state's right to control women were Tre Hargett (R-Bartlett), Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) and Debra Maggart (R-Hendersonville). (Apparently, where there's a rightwing bill, there's Maggart.)
While this is good news, it ain't necessarily over. Supporters of the bill may try to bring it back to life.
After all, this is an election year.
Rep. Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), the House sponsor of SJR 127, may attempt to "resurrect" the abortion ban either in the House committee system or on the floor.
If Gresham were to succeed in bringing SJR 127 to the floor, we could be in real trouble.
The House is controlled by Democrats, but a good number of this state's Dems are conservative enough to qualify for the Republican Party.
According to the City Paper, Gresham is "unsure" about whether or not she will attempt to resurrect the constitutional amendment that seeks to strip women of the right to decide when or if they will become mothers.
If you'd like to thank or 'spank' your elected representatives, you can find their contact info in this previous post.
For more on Maggart, who was recently deemed Creep of the Week, see: Report from the Bigot Study Committee: Rep. Debra Maggart.
Contact Maggart via phone at 615-741-3893 or email.
Reproductive Rights Feminism Abortion Pro Choice SJR 127 Misogyny Tennessee
