Tennessee Passes Amendment Saying Abortion Is Not A Right

Anti-abortion and abortion activists stand side by side in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 24, 2011, during a rally against Roe v. Wade on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decisi... Anti-abortion and abortion activists stand side by side in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 24, 2011, during a rally against Roe v. Wade on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) MORE LESS
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Tennessee voters on Tuesday passed a ballot measure that eliminates all protections for abortion in the state, The Tennessean reported.

Amendment 1 gives state lawmakers the ability to pass restrictive abortion laws, such as making abortion in cases of incest and race illegal.

The ballot measure itself reads:

“Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.”

The measure passed 54 percent to 46 percent — it needed at least 50 percent of the vote to pass.

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Notable Replies

  1. Somewhere, the ghost of Clarence Darrow is thinking to himself… “f*cking Tennessee”…

  2. It reads like it violates federal law.

  3. And how is that possible?

  4. There are some scary ass states in this country…

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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