Tennessee pastor responds to continuing attack on women’s private medical decisions
March 5, 2022

These restrictions do not serve life, but rather place move lives at risk.

NASHVILLE, TN - Ahead of this week’s TN Senate Judiciary Committee vote on SB2281, pastors spoke out on the further restriction on both doctors’ and women’s ability to make reproductive health choices.

“As a former physician and as a pastor and person of faith, I believe that the choice to terminate a pregnancy is never simple or easy, although some may portray it in that manner for political gain,” said Rev. Dr. Donna Whitney, Pastoral Assistant at Metropolitan Interdenominational Church of Nashville. “This is why I must speak out against further restricting abortion in Tennessee. These restrictions do not serve life, but rather place more lives at risk.

“It is not for the sake of safety that these attacks continue against women who find themselves considering abortion. Safety is not served when women cannot obtain medication that their doctors have prescribed for them by simply going to the pharmacy, sending another person to the pharmacy for them, or accepting delivery of medication from the pharmacy. The intent of restricting access to medications prescribed by doctors is not safety, either for women or for doctors. The intent is clearly punishment for both women and their medical providers.

“Efforts by the Supermajority legislature to punish doctors directly - with outrageous fines and even prison time - for simply failing to report a procedure for which there is no reasonable need for reporting are both ironic and insulting in a state where reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths is attenuated, even though there is a sound public health basis for COVID reporting and no sound public health basis for mandatory reporting of chemical abortion.

“If lawmakers truly cared for the sanctity of life, as they claim to do, they would focus on policies that support healthy families by alleviating hunger, enhancing access to healthcare by expanding Medicaid, and getting out of the way of common-sense public health measures that reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Background

• Summary of bill
• Abortion bill in Tennessee brings questions about patient privacy
• NPR Coverage of the consequences of Texas' restrictive abortion law

About Southern Christian Coalition
The Southern Christian Coalition is a nonpartisan grassroots, ecumenical organization. Across the South, politicians use ideology in the guise of Christian theology to push policies that harm our communities and isolate us from our neighbors. SCC is a community of Christians, speaking up on the values of their faith.