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note from Senator Raymond Finney--
My
wife and I are pleased to be members of both Blount County Right to
Life and Sevier County Right to Life. Sevier County RTL president,
Ursula Beckmann, has invited me to write a segment for this new Web
site about happenings in the General Assembly or other topics.
SJR 127: In 2000, the Tennessee Supreme Court issued an
especially egregious ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Sundquist. The Court
ruled that the Tennessee Constitution contains an inherent right for women
to obtain abortions. Through this ruling, most of Tennessee's laws protecting
pregnant women in abortion clinics-- laws present in most other states
and ruled to be constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court-- were rendered
invalid. Tennessee now has an essentially wide open abortion policy, far
more liberal than in most other states and more than the U.S. Supreme Court
requires. SJR 127 is a proposal to amend the state's constitution to restore
the same safeguards for women which were in place before this ruling. STATUS- Passed in Senate by 23-9 vote. Failed AGAIN in HOUSE Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee.
Planned Parenthood and your taxes: We have found that
more than 1-million dollars of tax monies flow to Planned Parenthood clinics
in Shelby and Davidson Counties. This funding is said to fund only gynecologic
services (breast and cervical screenings) but not abortion services. The
Senate General Welfare, Health and Human Services Committee contains a
majority of pro-life senators. In 2007, we voted to delete funding for
Planned Parenthood and to have this amount provide for these services through
other vendors, preferably state public health facilities. Commissioner
Susan Cooper returned to the committee, claiming she could not locate suitable
vendors in these two counties. We will try again to defund Planned Parenthood
in 2008, starting earlier than we did in 2007. STATUS: Vote to Delete Funding failed once again. They will still receive over 1 Million dollars of Tn. Tax money. (Side-Note) by Ursula Beckmann...Shelby and Davidson Counties have large Black populations. Planned Parenthood has "Targeted" them (they call it "Ethnic Cleansing") for elimination since Margaret Sangor began the organization in 1916. This was one of her 3 Main Goals. (Source: Pivot of Civilization, by Margaret Sangor ).
Please contact me at (865) 984.1424.
Or, you may use an online submission form at www.finneylistens.com/law.html .
Your State Chapter at Work: Because I spend months working
in the General Assembly, I have a good feel for the effectiveness of advocacy
groups in Nashville.
You will be pleased that your parent organization, Tennessee Right to Life,
is very effective and well-respected in Nashville. Brian Harris, Ed Albin,
Karen Brukhart, and others in TRTL are most helpful in pro-life legislative
issues. They work hard to explain pro-life issues to legislators and the public.
An Important Year Approaches: Tennessee Right to Life is
restricted in the manner in which it can lobby issues and promote candidates.
Your county chapter will receive instructions on permissible and non-permissible
activities.
As an individual, though, you are able to campaign on your own for pro-life
candidates or issues.
In 2004, I received much valued assistance from the pro-life communities of
Blount and Sevier Counties. I could never have been elected, without such assistance.
Never underestimate how important grassroots support and work become.
In 2008, we will have most important elections. In this year, we will elect
a new president, a U.S. senator, a U.S. congressman, a Tennessee senator, a
Tennessee representative, and other elected officials.
Find candidates who mirror your views, and work hard for them. Recruit pro-life
friends to do the same.
If you or any pro-life friend is not registered to vote, please register promptly.
There are two easy ways to register:
By email: Find the registration form on www.state.tn.us/sos/election/ss-3010.pdf .
By person in Sevier County: Register at Room 208-E of the Sevier County Courthouse,
Monday through Thursday at 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., or Friday at 8:30 a.m.
until 6:00 p.m. Call 453.6985 for more information.
We have struggled and fought wars to have the right to vote. Sadly, too few
persons register and actually vote.
Make you pro-life voice heard-- work for your beliefs, register, and vote.
Respectfully yours,
State Senator Raymond Finney
Home contact information:
2119 Middlewood Drive
Maryville, Tennessee 37803-6375
(865) 984.1424
finney_senate@yahoo.com
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