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(Nashville) Without comment, Governor Bredesen has
refused to sign legislation barring abortion as a funded benefit in new
federally mandated health care exchanges. Still, since no veto was
issued, the protective policy takes effect immediately. Tennessee law allows the Governor to sign a
bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
HB 2681 / SB 2686 by pro-life Rep. Matthew Hill and
pro-life Sen. Diane Black
states:
No health care plan required to be established in this state through an
exchange pursuant to federal health care reform legislation enacted by the
111th Congress shall offer coverage for abortion services.
It passed the state House 70-23 and the state Senate 27-3.
Tennessee's General Assembly was the nation's
first to pass legislation making clear that abortion would not be included as
a benefit in federally required health care exchanges. Action was
delayed until today as Governor Bredesen refused to sign the bill into
law. In the interim, Arizona's Legislature passed similar
legislation which was quickly signed into law by their pro-life Governor Jan
Brewer, making Arizona the first state to opt out of the abortion-funding
mandates.
Tennessee Right to Life has praised legislators for their work this session
to protect human life, particularly leadership of both the state House and
state Senate.
"Pro-life citizens around the state are grateful to our new House
Speaker, Kent Williams, for making the protection of life a priority, just as
he said he would," commented Brian Harris, president of Tennessee
Right to Life. "And without the principled counsel and long
time leadership of Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, this session's victories for life
would never have been realized," Harris continued.
Passage of the 'abortion opt out' bill follows easy passage this session of
bills removing priority status from abortion-provider Planned Parenthood,
redirecting family planning funds to local health departments which do not
perform abortions, required posting of the state's non-coercion policy in
private offices and facilities which perform abortions, and first passage of SJR 127, a resolution requiring a public
vote in 2014 to make the Tennessee Constitution neutral once again on the
matter of abortion.
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