With the Supreme Court's decision to let stand a Texas law allowing citizens to sue other citizens who "abet" a person getting an abortion, promising $10,000 rewards for amateur medical sleuths, Tennessee's supermajority Republican legislature is ready to enact its own policies ending a woman's right to make medical choices for herself.
This is not to say Gov. Bill Lee or House Speaker Cameron Sexton are against personal medical choices that endanger the lives of others. With the Republicans' ban on mask mandates and promoting COVID vaccination a "personal choice," Gov. Lee's policies have led to thousands of hospitalized Tennesseans, including a growing number of children forced to share classrooms with others empowered by parents to spread contagion.
Political analyst Otis Sanford says while the governor allows people with personal convictions to opt out of protecting children from harm, he likely won't allow similar opt outs for women with personal convictions seeking abortions.
Finally, Shelby County's population has declined, meaning it may lose one or more seats in the statecapitol, likely belonging to a Democrat.
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