Supreme Court Gives Pro-Life Win in Constitutional Tennessee Case After Nearly TWENTY YEARS of Struggle

Calvin Freiburger : Oct 3, 2018
LifeSiteNews.com

The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case leaves the Sixth Circuit's ruling as the final word on the case, delivering pro-lifers a victory after almost two decades' worth of legislative and judicial struggle.

(Washington, DC)—[Lifesitenews.com] The U.S. Supreme Court chose Monday not to consider a case against Tennessee's Amendment 1, rebuking pro-abortion activists and letting stand a 2014 measure that declares there is no "right" to abortion in the state's constitution. (Image: Pre-born human baby at 10 weeks with amniotic sac/via Wikipedia)

The ballot initiative added language to Article 1 of the Tennessee Constitution declaring that none of its provisions "secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion," and that the "people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion." It was approved 52.6% to 47.4% in 2014.

According to the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT), the push for Amendment 1 was driven a 2000 ruling of the state Supreme Court that found a "right" to abortion in the state constitution even broader than the national one supposedly identified in Roe v. Wade, striking down Tennessee's duly-enacted laws requiring informed consent, 48-hour waiting periods, and that late-term abortions be committed only in hospitals.

"Plainly stated, the effect of the Court's holding today is to remove from the people all power, except by constitutional amendment, to enact reasonable regulations of abortion," dissenting Justice Mickey Barker wrote at the time.

Abortion advocates sued to invalidate the amendment by challenging the state's method of counting votes for ballot initiatives. They argued that the number of "yes" votes must be equal to or greater than the number of people voting for governor plus one, and therefore only voters who voted in the gubernatorial race should have their votes on the amendment counted... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here.

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