April 4, 2006: Stop Attack on Reproductive Freedom - in House Subcommittee on Wednesday (4-12) - Call your House Representative by Tuesday

Dear Friends,

SJR127, the dangerous constitutional amendment which would amend the
Tennessee Constitution and remove the right to abortion, will be heard on
Wednesday, April 12 at 11:00 a.m. in the House Public Health and Family
Assistance Subcommittee in Room 31 of Legislative Plaza. Please contact
members of the Subcommittee by Tuesday afternoon and ask them to vote NO on SJR127.

It is important that the committee room be packed with pro-choice folks. It
is also VERY IMPORTANT that all state representatives begin to hear from
pro-choice folks. Remember, SJR127 has already passed the Senate Floor by 24-9 vote. We need to stop it in the House Public Health Subcommittee.

On the Senate Floor, an effort was made to carve out an exception and
provide constitutional protection to women in the event of rape, incest, or
danger to the life of the woman. That amendment was defeated. While ACLU-TN is opposed to SJR127 with or without the exceptions, the Senate's
determination to provide absolutely NO protection for women even in the case of rape, incest, and when the life of the woman is threatened, reveals
SJR127's true intent - an all-out attack on compassionate and comprehensive health care for Tennessee women. (Below are talking points and background on SJR127.)

ACTION - Contact members of the House Public Health Sub-Committee (contact info below) and tell them to vote AGAINST SJR127.

Many thanks,
Hedy

Public Health & Family Assistance Sub-Committee of House Health and Human Services Committee:

Representative Mary Pruitt(D - Nashville), 615-741-3853,
rep.mary.pruitt@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Lois DeBerry (D - Memphis), 615-741-3830,
rep.lois.deberry@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Joanne Favors (D - Chattanooga, 615-741-2702,
rep.joanne.favors@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Tre Hargett (R - Bartlett), 615-741-8201,
rep.tre.hargett@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Sherry Jones (D - Nashville), 615-741-2035,
rep.sherry.jones@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Debra Maggart (R - Hendersonville), 615-741-3893,
rep.debra.maggart@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Beverly Marrero (D - Memphis), 615-741-9128,
rep.beverly.marrero@legislature.state.tn.us

Representative Jason Mumpower (R - Bristol), 615-741-2050,
rep.jason.mumpower@legislature.state.tn.us

TALKING POINTS - SJR127 is an all-out attack on the women of Tennessee and seeks to rob women of their right to make choices about their own health, safety and personal welfare. Our State Constitution should not be amended to take away women's right to privacy, to control their own bodies, and to reproductive freedom.

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, women in Tennessee would not be protected under the current state constitutional right to privacy that ensures a woman can obtain an abortion. That means that this amendment is paving the way for abortion to be outlawed in this state; were Roe overturned, and our State Constitution amended, the State Legislature could pass a bill outlawing abortion and women seeking abortion would no longer be protected by the privacy right in the State Constitution. With the addition of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito to the U. S. Supreme Court, there is a very real movement afoot to have the Supreme Court reconsider Roe.

BACKGROUND - The introduction of this amendment is the result of the
ACLU/PPFA 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 their right to seek an abortion. The decision is momentous because it reaffirms the right to privacy found in the Tennessee Constitution.