Listen up Tennessee voters! Tomorrow is Election Day, and by now most of you have likely heard about Amendment 1. Whether you know about it in depth or have just heard its title, it is an extremely important aspect of tomorrow’s election that could potentially change the way the state of Tennessee views abortion rights. Earlier this evening there was a town hall debate, with a discussion facilitated by Dr. Paige Schneider and led by students Malcolm Richards, Katherine Telford, Michelle Howell, and Sarah Flowers. Together, they discussed the amendment and its potential implications for the future of women’s reproductive rights in Tennessee. So, for those of you who do not know what Amendment 1 aims to do or its potential implications, here are the highlights to get you informed, and ready, to vote tomorrow.
To understand the context for Amendment 1 we need to start back in 2000 when the Tennessee Supreme Court decided that the Tennessee constitution implies a right to privacy, including a woman’s right to abortion. Since then, there have been regulations put in place such as:
· abortions must be done by a physician
· Outlaw of partial birth abortions
· In the case of minors, parents must be informed
· Public funding is only available in the cases of rape, incest, or if there is going to be certain harm to the mother if the pregnancy continues.
These rules allow for much more freedom than neighboring states to Tennessee. In fact, 1 in 4 abortions performed in Tennessee are for women who are from out of state.
This leads us up to the introduction of Amendment 1, which basically states that the Tennessee constitution does not protect abortion rights and that the Tennessee voters and the state legislature have the power to legislate abortion rights, even in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother. So how does this affect the state and our lives on campus? Below is comprehensive list of everything you need to know before you head to the polls.
1. This amendment does not actually change the abortion laws currently in place.
The point brought up in the debate tonight was that this was not an anti-choice amendment. It essentially puts the power to decide whether the state as a whole wants to allow abortion into the hands of the legislators. Pro-choice activists are worried about this because with Tennessee having a primarily Republican dominated political climate this could lead to increased anti-choice legislation making it harder for the women of Tennessee, and the women of the South, to get abortions.
2. What do you mean by more regulation on abortion?
More abortion regulation refers to the installation of a 24 hour waiting period, where a woman is forced to wait a full 24 hours after being informed of the procedure to actually receive her abortion, or harsher regulations for abortion clinics making abortions less accessible to women, especially low income women. While it is important to be well informed before getting any medical procedure, there is no other medical procedure in the state of Tennessee that has a mandatory waiting period set down by the government. The increasing of these types of regulations would result in more unplanned births in Tennessee, and in the case of low income women could cause them to turn to state assistance to provide for their child. The right for abortions in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life could also be at stake in terms of regulation. These cases could cause psychological trauma for the mother, death of the mother, or birth defects.
3. Why is this needed if it’s not initially changing anything?
Amendment 1 is putting the right to choose into the hands of voters and legislatures. While the idea of allowing the state to decide how it wants to handle this is in theory a good idea, it also has the potential to take this state backwards in terms of abortion rights, which would result in the loss of women’s rights. It takes the choice from the woman and her doctor and opens it up to discussion throughout the state.
4. Who is going to end up being affected? What about us as students?
At first, this amendment will only open up the conversation. The potential aftermath of passing such a decision would affect women’s rights and the state as a whole. As stated above, the increase in low-income births could put the burden on the taxpayers. We, as students, are affected as well because being in a college setting where there is a high risk of mistakes, and the potential for sexual assault, all while having very promising futures ahead of us, means that we need to think about what kind of rights would we want to have if we were ever in the position of needing an abortion.
Now that you have all of the facts, you should be ready to hit the polls. Whether your vote is yes or no, what is truly important is that you are confident in how your state will view abortion for the coming years. Also, remember that when you vote, to vote for the governor as well otherwise your amendment vote will not count. Another great point that was brought up by a community member is that we are all pro-life; the difference is whether we are pro-choice or anti-choice. I hope that all of our Tennessee voters on campus will keep that in mind as they head out to polls tomorrow.