A new group in Tennessee is standing up in support of giving women more rights in the option of terminating a pregnancy. According to a press release WGNS received on Monday, Healthy & Free Tennessee will hold what they are calling its first Advocacy Day in Nashville on Tuesday.
One of the main issues the group plans to address is Senate Joint Resolution 127. You may recall last month Senator Jim Tracy and State Representative Rick Womick (both Republicans representing Rutherford County) decided to drop their proposed bill requiring women seeking an abortion to first undergo or view an ultrasound. It was dropped after the lawmakers said they will focus on passage of Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 127.
Representative Womick was recently on WGNS and said SJR 127 would be up for a vote in 2014. Womick stated…
Rebecca Terrell, Chair of Healthy & Free Tennessee stated, "We know that anti-choice forces are already focusing a lot of money and energy to push through this amendment to our state constitution."
Scroll down for source information and bill information.
Actual Press Release from Healthy & Free Tennessee:
A new statewide coalition of agencies, organizations and activists has formed to promote sexual health and reproductive freedom in Tennessee. Created to educate the public and policy makers on issues concerning sexual health to oppose increasing restrictions on individual reproductive freedoms, Healthy & Free Tennessee will hold its first Advocacy Day in Nashville on Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
Healthy & Free Tennessee supports the right of all Tennesseans to:
- Make private decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, free from intrusion or coercion by any government, group, or individual.
- Access a full range of safe & affordable sexual and reproductive health care along with accurate information about their health care options.
- Be free from discrimination on the basis of their reproductive life decisions.
"We will work to initiate and support policies to improve the sexual and reproductive health of the citizens of Tennessee," says the group's Chair, Rebecca Terrell, Executive Director of CHOICES in Memphis. "Examples include supporting comprehensive, evidenced-based sex education in schools, supporting evidence-based birthing practices in hospitals, improving access to HIV and STI testing and treatment across the state, and opposing further restrictions of reproductive rights."
Current coalition participants include: American Civil Liberties Union -TN, CHOICES (Memphis Center for Reproductive Health), ChoiceNashville, Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, Knoxville Reproductive Justice & Equality Coalition, National Council of Jewish Women - Nashville Chapter, Nashville CARES, Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, Planned Parenthood Middle & East Tennessee, SisterReach, Tennessee AIDS Advocacy Network, Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence, and the Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga, along with national partners including the Center for Reproductive Rights, Physicians for Reproductive Choice & Health, the Feminist Majority Foundation, the National Institute for Reproductive Health, & the National Women's Law Center.
Among many important issues the group plans to address is SJR 127 - a proposed constitutional amendment that would take away current rights to privacy and personal decision making about abortion. "We know that anti-choice forces are already focusing a lot of money and energy to push through this amendment to our state constitution," says Terrell. "But we also know that Tennesseans value personal autonomy, and do not want their current liberties taken away. We invite everyone who wants to work with us to protect and improve our citizens' reproductive health and freedom to sign on at www.healthyandfreetn.org."
Source:
Rebecca Terrell, Chair of Healthy & Free TN
Proposed (dropped) Ultrasound Bill by Tracy
Senate Joint Resolution 127 (Read)
Senator Jim Tracy
Representative Rick Womick