March 5, 2004: SJR127 Update - Senate Voting on Monday at 5 pm -Tell your Senator to Vote NO on SJR127 and Protect Privacy - and Come to Senate on Monday to hear the Debate

Dear Friends,

After another week of political wrangling, SJR127 will come up for a vote on Monday, March 8 at 5:00 pm in the Senate Chamber. SJR127 is #2 on the calendar.

As you might expect, the anti-choice folks were out in full force last week, and we expect nothing less from them on Monday. Please make every effort to attend the Senate vote so that the pro-choice presence is apparent. As you know, the bill passed out of committee last week with an amendment that provides exemptions in the case of rape/incest and to save the life of the woman. The bill's sponsor, Senator Fowler, opposes the amendment and is expected to attempt to strip the amendment away from the bill before the vote. This effort on Fowler's part to take away a woman's right to choose even when her life is in danger, or she has become pregnant as a result of rape or incest represents an extremist, all-out assault on the freedom and lives of women of Tennessee. While we appreciate the efforts of those legislators who at least made the attempt to provide women some protection by adding the amendment, we continue to oppose this anti-choice legislation with or without the amendment.

Again, Monday's session begins at 5:00 pm, and it is crucial that we make our voices heard between now and then. If you have not done so already, please call and/or e-mail your state senator immediately. Also, if you are able to attend the session on Monday, please plan to do so. It is crucial for pro-choice constituents to be both seen and heard in this process. To find contact information for your state senator, go to http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/ and choose "Senate" and then "Members."

If you are unable to identify your senator from this list, go to www.congress.org, and simply type in your zip code for a list of all your representatives and their contact information.

Also, listed below are some talking points around SJR127 that you may find helpful in communicating the urgency of this issue to members.

NOW IS THE TIME to let your voices be heard on this potentially devastating piece of legislation. Please forward this information to your friends and family and make a strong effort to mobilize them to communicate our opposition to SJR127.

Many thanks.
Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director

TALKING POINTS:

WHAT SJR127 DOES - SJR127 has many sponsors in the Senate and House. While supporters of the resolution - who are on record as anti-choice - say the resolution does not affect access to abortion, they are being disingenuous. Were Roe v. Wade to be overturned, and our State Constitution amended, the State Legislature could outlaw abortion because there would not be a state constitutional right to privacy as there is now. SJR127 is an attack on the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Tennessee Constitution, and Tennessee women.

AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION IS TYPICALLY DONE TO EXPAND RIGHTS, NOT TAKE AWAY RIGHTS. SJR127 TARGETS WOMEN AND TAKES AWAY THEIR RIGHT TO PRIVACY AS IT RELATES TO HEALTH CARE. Legislators should be reminded that this CAMPAIGN could lead to other erosions of privacy guarantees under the Tennessee Constitution (e.g., freedom of worship - Article 1, Section 7; protection against unreasonable searches and seizures - Article 1, Section 3; Freedom of Speech and Press, Article 1, Section 19.)

PROCEDURE AND TIMING - If SJR127 passes the Senate, it will be scheduled on House Calendar. If the resolution passes both Chambers during this session, it would be reintroduced during the first session of the 104th TGA and have to pass by a 2/3 vote in both Chambers. Then the resolution would be placed on the state-wide ballot in 2006.

BACKGROUND - The introduction of this amendment is the result of the ACLU/Planned Parenthood victory in the Tennessee Supreme Court. We successfully challenged several restrictive provisions in the Tennessee Abortion Statute. In September 2000, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that several provisions were unconstitutional and that the Tennessee Constitution afforded women a right to privacy regarding her right to seek an abortion. The decision is momentous because it reaffirms the right to privacy found in the Tennessee Constitution.