Pro-Life Legislation Goes to Full Health Committee
May 29, 2020
On Wednesday, the Tennessee House’s Health Subcommittee, by voice vote, recommended to the full Health Committee both the governor’s proposed abortion legislation, known as the “Missouri laddered” approach, as well as the Rule of Law Life Act.
The key provisions in the governor’s proposal ask the federal courts to decide for the state at which of ten different stages of fetal development the state can protect unborn life by prohibiting abortion. The Rule of Law Life Act rests on the the legislature’s authority to assert the fundamental rights reserved to the people by the Ninth Amendment and asserts that U.S. Supreme Court cases recognizing those kinds of rights should control over the one the Court made up in Roe v. Wade. Both bills will be in the full committee on Tuesday.
The governor has made it clear that his administration needs to focus on serious and substantial budget shortfalls and does not want to have his administration’s attention diverted to arguing for his abortion and gun rights proposals.
The Senate has indicated that it will defer to the administration, since those are the administration’s bills in the first place, but whether the action of the House will change the Senate’s position on the abortion legislation remains uncertain. Usually, the House and Senate do not insist on running bills that the sponsors proposing them do not want heard.
The key provisions in the governor’s proposal ask the federal courts to decide for the state at which of ten different stages of fetal development the state can protect unborn life by prohibiting abortion. The Rule of Law Life Act rests on the the legislature’s authority to assert the fundamental rights reserved to the people by the Ninth Amendment and asserts that U.S. Supreme Court cases recognizing those kinds of rights should control over the one the Court made up in Roe v. Wade. Both bills will be in the full committee on Tuesday.
The governor has made it clear that his administration needs to focus on serious and substantial budget shortfalls and does not want to have his administration’s attention diverted to arguing for his abortion and gun rights proposals.
The Senate has indicated that it will defer to the administration, since those are the administration’s bills in the first place, but whether the action of the House will change the Senate’s position on the abortion legislation remains uncertain. Usually, the House and Senate do not insist on running bills that the sponsors proposing them do not want heard.
