NASHVILLE — Republican and Democratic abortion opponents successfully mounted an unprecedented challenge to House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh’s authority Thursday as the coalition overturned the powerful Democrat’s ruling on an abortion measure.

The 47-46 vote threw the House into chaos for more than an hour as majority Democrats lost several successive votes to kill GOP-led efforts to revive Senate Joint Resolution 127.

“If we can’t stick together on that (a subsequent procedural vote), we may just as well let Mumpower start presiding,” the powerful speaker told fellow Democrats at a hastily convened party caucus meeting, referring to Minority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol.

The resolution, which passed the Senate earlier this year, died in a 6-3 vote in a House subcommittee where it has been killed every time it has been brought up since 2001.

The measure proposes amending the Tennessee Constitution to make it silent on the issue of abortion rights.

Abortion opponents including Family Action of Tennessee President David Fowler, a former GOP lawmaker from Signal Mountain, had lobbied heavily to resurrect the measure.

Thursday’s fight erupted when Democrats sought to suspend the rules to bring another measure immediately to the floor.

Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, a former Republican minority leader, seized the opportunity and moved to amend the motion in an effort to bring up SJR 127. Speaker Naifeh ruled Rep. Dunn out of order, saying no written copy of the amendment had been filed.

When Rep. Dunn challenged the ruling, 42 Republicans and five Democrats sided with Rep. Dunn.

Later, all 43 Republicans present were joined by eight Democrats in amending a motion to suspend the rules to include SJR 127. Democrats’ efforts to adjourn and attempts by House Majority Leader Gary Odom, D-Nashville, to withdraw his meeting measure failed.

But efforts eventually collapsed when the coalition got only 55 of the required 66 or two-thirds majority needed to suspend the rules and pass the resolution.

In a statement, Mr. Fowler called it a “sad day.”

By that time, Democrats finally figured out “Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure,” which the House uses, does not permit members to amend a motion to suspend House rules. Rep. Dunn said he had not realized that was the case.

The fight reignited later in the day when Rep. Delores Gresham, R-Somerville, the sponsor of SJR 127, went to the House well to complain about the House Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee having killed the measure in February.

“When we deny the people the exercise of their inherent right to govern, we in fact enslave them,” said Rep. Gresham, who is running for the state Senate. “The voice of six in a subcommittee silenced 6 million. The proposed constitutional amendment ... is the decision of the people.”

The resolution would have put the proposed constitutional change on the 2010 ballot.

Rep. Gresham, recognizing she didn’t have 66 votes, made no motion on the bill.

Her comments drew an angry response from Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga, who is black.

“Those of us who have the ancestors who endured the most dastardly deed known to mankind have been African-American,” Rep. Brown said.

She criticized abortion opponents, questioning their commitment to children who are born.

“Let’s talk about the babies who are here,” she said. “Let’s talk about whether or not you’re willing or not to cast a vote to clothe them, give them proper education. That’s what it’s about.”

Later, Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, a registered nurse and member of the Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee, was engaged in an intense conversation with Rep. Gresham.