Tennesseans face possibly the most monumental vote in our state's 218-year history, and it will be an indictment on Christians if Amendment 1 fails to pass.
It's that simple ... and that monumental.
Amendment 1 can re-establish common-sense restrictions on abortion that exist in surrounding states -- and have been in place soon after Roe v. Wade became the nation's abortion law in 1973. Tennessee also had those restrictions until a liberal Tennessee Supreme Court removed them in 2000. As a result, Tennessee has become the easiest state in the Southeast in which a woman can abort her child. So easy that abortion providers offer discounts for those traveling more than 50 miles. Fact: One in four babies aborted in Tennessee are from other states. Tennessee currently ranks third nationally in the percentage of out-of-state abortions. Sadly and embarrassingly, we are an abortion destination.
Tennessee currently requires no health inspection of abortion facilities, has no informed consent and no waiting periods for abortion. Amendment 1 does not overturn Roe v. Wade like the amendment's opponents would have you believe. I wish it did. However, Amendment 1 does bring Tennessee back up to a standard equal to all the surrounding states by legally providing a safer environment for women who do choose to abort their babies.
State financial disclosure filings indicate more than 90 percent of all funding in the campaign against Amendment 1 came from abortion clinics. Planned Parenthood organizations from Tennessee and across the country contributed more than $1.4 million of the No on 1's $1.5 million quarterly receipts. Less than $150,000 of that campaign's quarterly support came from individuals. No on 1 is saturating prime time with ads that are intentionally misleading, creating confusion to the point that it appears a "no" vote is actually a vote for the sanctity of life. The calculated deceit is nothing short of premeditated evil.
Friends, this is one of those times in history when disciples of Christ must take a stand. If we don't, it is an indictment against Tennessee Christians, and I believe failure will render us irrelevant in the cultural issues we'll be facing in the years to come. It's been predicted that if Amendment 1 fails to pass, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU will bring a number of lawsuits that remove remaining restrictions such as parental consent. Minors would be able to wander into a potentially unclean abortion clinic and have an abortion without their parents' knowing. God forbid that that should happen.
This is our moment in time. If we miss it, it is unlikely we'll ever get it back. Bringing an amendment to vote is difficult to do the first time and statistically improbable a second time.
Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we are to be salt and light in the world around us. Salt is a preservative that slows decay. Light is the hope of Christ that shines in a decaying world. We have a moral and spiritual obligation to vote Yes on 1, but if we do not make a stand morally, we risk forfeiting our opportunity to positively impact our state spiritually.
Let's protect women and children in our state while proclaiming the light of the Gospel.
Let's say no to those who want to keep Tennessee an abortion destination state.
Let's simply but adamantly say Yes on 1.
Dr. Randy C. Davis is the executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, a group of more than 3,200 cooperating Baptist churches. Prior to his current position, Davis was a pastor for 34 years, nearly 20 of those in churches in Morristown and Sevierville.