A bill passed in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Wednesday gave the go ahead for a “Monument to Unborn Children” to be built and then installed on state property. Kevin Trager with WNC5 in Nashville reports the bill sponsored by Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) states the statue would be funded by private money, and would be built either on the state property near the Tennessee Capitol or at the Tennessee State Museum, and it would “recognize” children who died during miscarriage or abortion. In the WMC5 news video, Sexton says,
“We have the monument to slavery and the holocaust,” said Sexton. “We don’t want these atrocities to ever happen again, so this it put in reference to those two monuments...A lot of people don’t recognize a fetus as a human being, just as a black person was less than a human being or a Jew was less than a human being.”
And if that isn’t repulsive enough, Sexton claims:
“Just like a rape victim that was, that was against a person’s will to have her virginity take away by a rapist, an unborn child’s life is taken away as well.”
There are so many things wrong with his statements that it’s hard to know where to begin or end. Comparing abortion to Black slavery and the Holocaust doesn’t even deserve a comment. But one can’t help wonder—does Sexton, in his ignorant inarticulate twang, really believe that all victims of rape are virgins?
This is no surprise for those who’ve followed Sexton’s record. In 2012, he introduced a bill to eliminate the state policy requirement to provide all medically acceptable contraception measures. So, Jerry Sexton doesn’t like abortion, but he also doesn’t like contraception that prevents abortion. I suspect Sexton, who supported Ted Cruz in the presidential primaries, just doesn’t like women.
A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee said the organization would fight the legislation as well as fight any assault on a woman’s right to choose what’s best for her bodies, her futures and her family.
“They don’t trust women, that’s the bottom line....There is definitely a space for healing and grief. The intention behind this monument is to shame women who have had abortions,” said Francie Hunt, Executive Director, Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. “And that’s the problem I have with it.”
The bill will go to the full House State Government committee for review next week. To let TN House memebers know your thoughts on this bill, you can contact:
To join, support and/or learn more about their work, visit Planned Parenthood of Tennessee or follow Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood on Facebook.
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