NASHVILLE, February 22, 2023 - Tennessee Right to Life continues to oppose HB883 that will be in the House Health Committee this afternoon. We simply cannot support efforts to whittle away at our current protections. The discussions of the past week have shown that even with adjusted definitions, this legislation is unacceptable to the pro-life position. It cannot be reformatted, into a sound bill that continues to effectively protect unborn children in our state.
The Human Life Protection Act that was passed by the General Assembly in 2019 is the preferred language. It protects the right to life of all unborn children in our state with a provision for those situations when the mother’s life is in danger. Although Tennessee Right to Life has made it clear that we would not oppose efforts to simply clarify language in the current law, HB883 does much more than clarify.
The current law has been in effect for nearly six months and is working as the legislature intended. An estimated 900 unborn children are being saved each month from abortion in our state and no doctors have been charged for saving a woman’s life. This law should be allowed to remain strong in order to save our most vulnerable citizens.
Tennessee Right to Life and thousands of pro-life citizens still oppose HB883. We urge pro-life members of the Health Committee to vote no today.
Incorporated in 1975, Tennessee Right to Life is the state’s oldest and largest pro-life advocacy organization. We are a non-profit, non-sectarian, volunteer-based organization affiliated with the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. and made up of local county chapters throughout Tennessee.
Tennessee Right to Life exists to promote public respect for the dignity of every human life especially those threatened by abortion, infanticide, partial-birth abortion, assisted suicide, or euthanasia. TRL advocates the protection of human life without regard to age, handicap, condition or social position.
Tennessee Right to Life is committed to effectively advocating the protection of human life through educational outreach, passage of protective legislation and the development of an informed, active grassroots movement statewide. Additionally, members of Tennessee Right to Life assist in providing direct and tangible resources to women and families facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies.
Members of Tennessee Right to Life represent a broad cross section of Tennessee’s growing population and include persons of diverse religious, ethnic, economic and political backgrounds working together to promote and restore societal respect for all human life.
