Nashville News Blog

If we amend the state constitution as proposed in SJR 127, that will intensify, not diminish, the legislative battles between the pro-life and pro-choice groups in Tennessee.
If the amendment passes and Roe v. Wade stays intact, the Tennessee legislature will revisit those issues --- a waiting period, informed consent, and a hospitalization requirement--- that, for now, are blocked by the state constitution as interpreted by the Tennessee Supreme Court. On the other hand, in the unlikely event that Roe is overturned, Tennessee ( and every other state) will face a legislative decision as to whether any kind of abortions should be legal in this state.
Though I often wish it were otherwise, the Right to Life folks are going to be a powerful force in Tennessee politics for a long time to come. Endorsing the occasional Democrat---and winning---ultimately strengthens their position because they are not beholden to one party.

You really dont know Tennessee right to life or the people in it if you think they would intentionally do something to hurt the passage of sjr127.

TNRtL is similar to other self-imagined 'revolutionary' movements. They are not so much about a specific issue like abortion or choice as advocates for on-going change.

If abortions were outlawed tomorrow, there would be members of TNRtL who would want to move on to the next challenge because they see the victory as incomplete. And always will.

This might be the sexualization of the culture or the decline in parenting or another related issue. As the Redlegs officer says in 'Outlaw Josey Wales,' "There ain't no end to doin' good."

Of course the Right to Life people are not alone. The obvious Tennessee example is the 'gun rights' movement which managed to hijack much of the Legislative session.

But it bears mentioning that the same pattern can be seen in other movements. Some feminists viciously turned on women who supported Senator Obama over Senator Clinton because they saw it as a betrayal of women's rights. Other feminists still blame the patriarchy for everything from global warming to tanktinis, citing the works of Andrea Dworkin and Susan Brownmiller. There is little sense of true victory because with such a victory, they would no longer have a cause to lead.

The vast majority of advocates for Right to Life issues and the vast majority of feminists are good people who have little interest in single issue politics or cultural revolution.

But revolutions have certain dynamics and one is the appearance of 'true believers' who try to gain control of the meaning of the Revolution. By defining what it means to be pro-life or feminist, they exert almost total power. Dissent is crushed by characterizing critics as sell-outs or worse.

Traditionally American politics has been impervious to this sort of extremism but over the last forty years or so, it seems like more and more issues are taking on this sort of conflict.