"Politics are a part of religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God ... Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you, He does see it, and He will bless or curse this nation, according to the course they take."
Charles Finney 1792-1875 (Nineteenth Century Evangelist and Author)
On Tuesday at the monthly meeting of the Knox County Chapter of Tennessee Right to Life, several pro-life legislators addressed the issues that faced them during the 2016 Legislative Session. Representatives Jerry Sexton, Roger Kane and Bill Dunn and Senator Richard Briggs also addressed the recent Supreme Court decision and the possible impact it could have on our laws in Tennessee, including 48 Hour Waiting Period, Informed Consent and the Admitting Privileges requirement.
It is feared that Judge Kevin Sharp will use the ruling against the Texas measures to strike down Tennessee's pro-life laws as well. Some legal experts feel that our laws are drafted differently than those that were challenged by abortion activists in Texas and could therefore be defended under legal challenge. But even with that bit of hope, many in the room were frustrated and discouraged by the recent events especially after working so hard in the Yes on 1 campaign in 2014 to ensure that there was no longer a "fundamental right" to abortion in our state constitution. There was agreement that the judicial system seems to be increasingly ignoring the will of the people, the actions of the legislatures and the Constitution.
But after a discussion of how disheartening things seem to be, the conversation took a turn. We were reminded that God is in control even in the dark times of this struggle for life and that with great challenges come great opportunities for us to continue our pro-life work to educate our friends and neighbors about the precious gift of life and to continue to work with our legislators to pass laws to protect women and children.
Time spent with these gentlemen reminded us of how important it is to have godly, pro-life men and women in office. Tennessee is fortunate to have pro-life majorities in the State Senate and House, but that didn't happen by accident. The Tennessee Right to Life Political Action Committee and Tennessee's pro-life voters have made a concerted effort to elect men and women who will promote and vote for legislation to protect babies and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion.
Pro-life Tennesseans have long recognized our obligation to make faith part of our politics in order to set a godly course for our state and nation. We realize that although we may pull the curtain at the voting booth, we are not alone. He who knows our hearts certainly knows our votes.
Early Voting for the Primary Election starts tomorrow on July 15. Please pray and fast for those men and women who have stepped forward to run for political office not for any glory or fame, but in order to do what is right.
For a list of TRL endorsed candidates go to http://www.vote4life.org/candidate_endorsements. Please pray for these men and women and share the list with others.
Thank you for praying and fasting for an end to abortion. To receive our weekly prayer and fasting for an end to abortion emails, email me at [email protected].
For Life,
Stacy Dunn, Director, Tennessee Right to Life, Knox County Chapter