My legislator

Much like Rachel, I used the NARAL action form to contact my state legislators (John Litz in the House, Steve Southerland in the Senate). I did not alter the text of the letter at all. Much has been made of Rachel's reaction to the "response" she received from Senator Douglas Henry. I fully agree with Rachel- this is not the kind of action we like to see from our elected leaders. Whether they agree with us or not, I feel they should either address concerns, or not respond. I will say that I do understand the time constraints on our part-time legislators in Nashville, who have to be in the capitol for important state business, and also have to hold down a full-time job at home. And they don't have a lot of staff. That's why I so appreciate the pertinent response I received from my Representative.

snikta,

Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning your opposition to
HB-982which would require a death certificate to be filed for every abortion in Tennessee. This bill was assigned to the Public Health & Family Assistance Subcommittee, and I do not think this bill will ever get out of that subcommittee. If it does by some slim chance, I will not vote for it.

Again, thank you for your e-mail and input. Please feel
free to contact me anytime I can be of assistance to you.

Rep. John Litz

That was in response to this email:

Dear Representative Litz,

As your constituent, I'm writing to ask you to oppose HB 982, which would require a death certificate be filed for every abortion in Tennessee.

Women who live in Tennessee already face an uphill battle when it comes to their reproductive rights. Anti-choice legislators in recent years have passed biased counseling and mandatory delay requirements, mandatory parental consent rules, targeted regulations against abortion providers, and an unconstitutional ban on abortion as early as 12 weeks in pregnancy.

This bill is not only unnecessary, it is an assault on women's dignity and privacy. Tennessee's Office of Vital Records already keeps track of the number of abortions in the state, but these records keep the women's identities private.

If passed, death certificates would include personal and identifying information -including full name and mailing address - that would become public record.

Women in Tennessee deserve their constitutionally protected right to privacy when they make their personal reproductive decisions. Please help defeat this dangerous bill by voting "no"on HB 982.

Sincerely,
snikta

I would like to applaud Rep. Litz for his timely response, and for taking the time to address my concerns. I am also pleased that he agrees with my position on this bill, but even if he did not, I would appreciate his responding to what I said, rather than just saying "I am on the side of the children". I am glad that I have true representation in Nashville.


snikta