Controversial Event Gains Attention
A recent video from Memphis has sparked national outrage. In it, a woman was seen taking an abortion pill during a gender reveal party, deliberately ending her pregnancy.
In the clip, she voiced her frustrations about the child’s father and proclaimed that she would not carry the pregnancy to term. As she retrieved the abortion pills from a bag, she exclaimed, “Thank you, Jesus,” while her friends cheered and enthusiastically encouraged her actions. Instead of revealing the baby’s gender, she announced that the baby had “no gender” and swallowed a pill.
The incident has horrified many pro-life advocates. However, a significant part of the response has overlooked a more unsettling reality: Tennessee Republicans had an opportunity to prevent situations like this and chose to do nothing.
In a subsequent interview, the woman admitted to drinking alcohol throughout her pregnancy. She mentioned that the father thought the baby would have developmental issues, leading to their decision for an abortion. In a rather shocking moment, she congratulated the interviewer on her abortion, and they joked about having a “funeral” on the same day as the gender reveal.
This brutal episode sheds light on cultural attitudes surrounding abortion. While some pro-life leaders still label women as “second victims” of abortion, there’s a growing trend where women openly celebrate terminating their pregnancies. A disturbing culture of “screaming for abortion” seems to be gaining traction, with many women not just defending the practice, but extolling it as an act of liberation.
The backlash has been swift and fierce. Nevertheless, some Christians concerned about the implications may not realize that lawmakers in Tennessee failed to take action against such acts mere months prior.
Numerous pro-life organizations assert that abortion has essentially become a settled issue in Tennessee. They claim, for instance, that “abortion is illegal in Tennessee with limited exceptions” and that “chemical abortion drugs are strictly regulated.” Others, like Tennessee Right to Survival, boast that the state is a “national leader” in protecting infants. However, these assertions are called into question by the Memphis incident.
The video showcased a woman and her friend easily acquiring what was labeled a “heavily regulated” abortion pill, using it to terminate a pregnancy, and posting their act online for widespread viewing. This was possible because Tennessee law provides women who terminate pregnancies with complete immunity from repercussions. In essence, there’s no deterrent to prevent women from intentionally ending the lives of their unborn children.
The legislation asserting that Tennessee is “abortion-free” explicitly states, “Pregnant women who have undergone an abortion or had one attempted shall not face conviction or punishment.”
This means that the woman in the video can’t face criminal charges for her actions, regardless of how openly aggressive her intentions may have appeared, thanks to pro-life laws in Tennessee that shield her and other women from punishment.
Earlier this year, the opportunity to close this loophole appeared through House Bill 570, a measure aimed at establishing equal protection for newborns. The bill sought to address prenatal murder not just for third-party abortionists, but to extend protections to those who participate in the act.
Yet, upon its introduction, pro-life establishment groups pressured lawmakers to steer clear of supporting it. Curiously, no Republican in the Tennessee House Population Health Subcommittee even moved to grant House Bill 570 a public hearing.
This failure carries weight, especially considering Tennessee’s political landscape. The Republican party holds supermajorities in both legislative chambers, and they have recently taken steps to redistrict and penalize Democrats who opposed them. Put simply, Tennessee Republicans are keenly aware that Democrats lack real power in the state. They can enact their agenda without opposition.
And yet, they opted not to abolish abortion.
This means that women in Tennessee can commit what can only be described as prenatal murder, regardless of the circumstances or intentions, without fearing any legal consequences.
Unfortunately, the baby that was terminated in that video is not an isolated case. In Tennessee alone, abortion pills result in the death of over 5,000 unborn babies each year, often obtained through telemedicine. Thousands more are lost outside of traditional healthcare channels.
If Tennessee lawmakers genuinely wish to put an end to this legally permissible violence, they must advocate for equal protection for newborns and acknowledge their intrinsic value as human beings. This necessitates abolishing abortion altogether and criminalizing it for good.
