Abortion Bill Heads to Governor

A bill that keeps state tax dollars from funding abortions is now headed for the governor.

The Republican-led measure passed the Tennessee Senate Monday night, 27-3. Senators Beverly Marrero, Thelma Harper, and Ophelia Ford voted agains the bill. It passed the state House last week.

The measure is essentially a guarantee of an executive order President Barack Obama signed shortly after the federal health care overhaul bill passed.

Black says exemptions for women who are the victim of rape or incest, of whose lives are in jeopardy, are in place in other Tennessee laws. Some democrats had pushed for the exemptions to spelled out in the lastest proposal, but those efforts were turned backed. **

WEB EXTRA
The bill is SB 2686 Black/HB 2681 Hill.

It passed in the House on April 12 on a vote of 70-23.

House sponsor Matthew Hill says the federal health care overhaul allows states to pass the additional, no-abortion-funding language.

Both he and Senator Black have argued that federal safeguards that are supposed to bar any such abortion funding do not have the power of law.

**WPLN originally reported that these exemptions were included in Black’s bill. We regret the error.