In our blog, read about the political and cultural issues affecting Tennesseans written from a conservative perspective. Commentaries are typically written by David Fowler, an attorney who served in the Tennessee state Senate for 12 years before joining FACT as President.
How the 6th Circuit’s Pro-Life Decision Helps Tennessee Challenge Roe v. Wade
Dec 13, 2019 by David Fowler
When the United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upholding an abortion-related law in Kentucky, it did not indicate a willingness by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wad...
Abortion Trial Over TN Law Shows Why Roe v. Wade Hasn't Been Overturned
Sep 27, 2019 by David Fowler
This week, a federal district court judge began listening to testimony in regard to a lawsuit brought by various abortion clinics in Tennessee against a state law that requires a 48-hour waiting period between a woman’s first appointment with a...
The Fundamental Abortion Question Isn’t What You Think
Aug 23, 2019 by David Fowler
I have listened again to all the legal testimony presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee in connection with the overhauled version of the “heartbeat” bill. There is a sense in which the fundamental issue isn’t whether one believ...
The Elephant in the (Abortion Hearing) Room
Aug 16, 2019 by David Fowler
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s two-day hearings were the best and most significant hearings I’ve been part of in my more than twenty-five years in state politics. Many statements from pro-life and pro-choice witnesses against the bill d...
Shining the Light on Roe v. Wade and the ‘Heartbeat’ Bill Controversy
Aug 9, 2019 by David Fowler
Next Monday and Tuesday the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear lawyers wrangle over the constitutional defensibility of a so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill. The version of the bill passed by the House is a ‘heartbeat’ bill. C...
Oath-Keeping in the State Senate at Eastertime
Apr 19, 2019 by David Fowler
Most Christians will celebrate Easter this Sunday and on Monday, the Tennessee Senate will vote on a motion that would pull the so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill out of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee to the floor of the Senate for ...
A Constitutionally Defensible Reason for Supporting the Pro-Life ‘Heartbeat’ Bill
Apr 5, 2019 by David Fowler
What is going on in the legislature between the pro-life “fetal heartbeat bill” camp and the pro-life “trigger bill” camp makes no sense to a whole lot of ardent pro-life citizens. The bills seem to be caught up in some kind o...
Just How Pro-Life Are Tennessee’s Republican Legislators?
Mar 29, 2019 by David Fowler
I’m not sure I know what happened Wednesday when pro-life Republican House members split their vote and killed the pro-life bill that would impose more stringent limitations on abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions on abortion ar...
Will Legislators Take a Consistent Approach to Abortion and Marriage?
Feb 15, 2019 by David Fowler
Three bills filed in the General Assembly—two on abortion and one on marriage—point out how hard it is to find a consistent principle by which to govern. Here’s what I think needs to be done.
Two Approaches to Reversing Roe v. Wa...
Commentary