News & Views - Commentary

News & Views - Commentary | FACT In our blog, read about the political and cultural issues affecting Tennesseans written from a conservative perspective. Commentaries are typically written by David Fowler, an attorney who served in the Tennessee state Senate for 12 years before joining FACT as President. David Fowler https://fluxconsole.com/files/image/96845.png https://fluxconsole.com/files/item/441/56004/apple-touch-icon.png 2026-06-14T07:06:09-05:00 https://www.factennessee.org/feed FeedWriter 2026-06-11T07:06:09-05:00 2026-06-11T07:06:09-05:00 147 Rescues and Counting – Tennessee Expands Safe Haven Law "There's no greater way a mother can exhibit love for a newborn she is unable to care for than to surrender that child to a safe and secure environment." – Rep. Ed Butler
Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 1844 (sponsored by Rep. Ed Butler) into law last month, expanding Tennessee's Safe Haven Law to include ambulance stations with 24-hour staffing as approved newborn surrender sites.

Tennessee's Safe Haven Law, first enacted in 2001, gives parents in crisis a legal, confidential path to surrender a newborn they cannot care for. Any unharmed infant under 45 days old may be left at a designated facility – no questions asked, no charges filed.

Prior to HB 1844, designated surrender facilities included hospitals, fire stations, law enforcement offices, emergency communications centers, health clinics, and certain nursing homes. The new law adds ambulance stations to that roster and tightens the statutory language governing monitoring and staffing requirements. View all surrender sites here.

Many of those facilities now house Safe Haven Baby Boxes – temperature-controlled, alarm-equipped devices built into the exterior wall of the facility. A parent can place an infant inside at any hour, and an alarm will immediately trigger an emergency response, with paramedics typically on site within minutes.

Since Tennessee’s Safe Haven law took effect 25 years ago, 147 infants have been safely surrendered in our state. Nationally, over 4,500 babies have been relinquished through the program since 1999.

"Tennessee's Safe Haven Law exists to protect vulnerable newborns and provide mothers facing unimaginable circumstances with a safe, compassionate option," Rep. Butler stated. "By expanding approved surrender locations and strengthening safeguards, this legislation helps ensure no family is left uncertain about where to turn in a moment of crisis."

The numbers tell a sobering story about what happens when desperate parents don't know their options or can't find a surrender site in time.

The National Safe Haven Alliance reported that 156 babies were safely surrendered under safe haven laws across the country in 2024. During that same period, 39 newborns were illegally or unsafely abandoned – a figure that represents a 70% drop from 2004, when these laws first began spreading nationwide.

The results for infant homicides are equally dramatic: the CDC found a 67% decline in the decade following the introduction of safe haven laws. These are not inconsequential numbers – each rescue represents a precious human life designed by God for a specific purpose in this world.

Although tremendous progress has been made nationally, the crisis is not over. The National Safe Haven Alliance tracked 22 illegal infant abandonments in 2025 alone. Tragically, eleven of those babies were found deceased.

There are now more than 400 baby boxes installed across the country, with at least 24 in Tennessee. Safe Haven boxes serve as a last resort for desperate parents who may otherwise take unthinkable actions. If a baby box saves even one precious life, the financial cost would be well worth it.

The Knoxville Fire Department has already saved two babies through the program. Both infants, just days old when surrendered, were taken to a local hospital, placed in foster care, and quickly adopted. The department is now planning to build an additional box at Station 6 in East Knoxville.

Monica Kelsey, founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, explained why expansion to ambulance stations is so important: "We want to have more options available for these moms, so that they can find an option that they can live with for the rest of their life.”

Tennessee has always been a pro-life state that champions the idea that every human life has inherent value and is worthy of protection. This law is another step in the right direction, ensuring that mothers facing crisis pregnancies always have a safe door to walk through.

FACT remains steadfast in our dedication to championing the sanctity of human life at every stage. Click here to support this vital mission.

]]> https://www.factennessee.org/news-views/commentary/2026/147-rescues-and-counting-tennessee-expands-safe-haven-law FACT info@factn.org 2026-06-04T07:06:09-05:00 2026-06-04T07:06:09-05:00 Reclaiming the Rainbow & Celebrating Nuclear Family Month! "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." – Genesis 9:12-13
The rainbow has always belonged to God. It was His sign of faithfulness to His creation long before it was appropriated as a symbol of a wayward political movement. This June, as Christians across Tennessee celebrate the nuclear family, we reclaim what was always ours: the promise of God's covenant, the beauty of His design, and the joy of the family He created. Instead of shying away from the rainbow because the LGBT movement decided to co-opt it nearly 50 years ago, let’s work to restore its rightful meaning in our society.

Within weeks of Governor Bill Lee designating June as Nuclear Family Month through House Joint Resolution 182, governors across the nation began following suit.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun issued a formal proclamation on June 1 declaring June "Nuclear Family Month" in Indiana, using language nearly identical to Tennessee's, recognizing the nuclear family as "one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children" and calling it "God's design for the family structure and the foundation of society since the creation of the world." Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared June "Fidelity Month," anchoring it in fidelity to God, family, community, and country. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey proclaimed "Strong Families Month," declaring that "strong families build a strong Alabama" and that “homes led by stable parents, a father and a mother, provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed."

We’re proud to lead the way in restoring the importance of the nuclear family in our nation!

A Cultural Shift is Underway

Mainstream media won’t mention it, but “Pride Month” is rapidly losing steam as support for traditional families rises. In fact, Jordan Braxton, co-president of the United States Association of Prides, reluctantly confirmed that "a majority of Pride organizations have experienced a significant reduction in funding."

For years, the message to traditional families was that the culture had moved on – that rainbow flags on every storefront and June saturated with Pride events was simply the new norm, and anyone who disagreed was on the wrong side of history. That narrative is crumbling.

The Washington Stand reported:

According to a report from NPR, corporate sponsorship for 2026 Pride Month events is declining even further, falling by an estimated 60% to 70% from years past. Organizers pointed to the Trump White House and its agenda targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and pro-transgenderism programs and the public backlash against LGBT events, marketing, and sponsorship as causes for the reduced corporate involvement in Pride Month this year. According to ProCapitas, many Pride Month events are now shifting from large-scale corporate-funded initiatives to smaller-scale, “community-driven” events.

Similarly, a recent poll from Gallup found that support for gay marriage among Republicans and political independents is rapidly declining – as is support for “trans rights.”

“Republicans, especially, have done an about-face on the issue. In 2022, a majority of them — 55 percent — said same-sex marriages should be valid. That number now stands at 37 percent, back to levels last seen more than 10 years ago,” the NYT reported. “Political independents also experienced a six percentage point decline. Democratic support remains unchanged at 87 percent.”

There’s no denying it: the LGBT heyday has come to a close – and not a moment too soon.

The Truth About Nuclear Families

The nuclear family is not a relic of a bygone era. It is the single most powerful predictor of a child's well-being that social science has ever identified.

According to the Heritage Foundation, being raised in a married family reduces a child's probability of living in poverty by approximately 82 percent. Heritage also documented the direct link between family breakdown and violent crime, finding that the rise in fatherless homes over recent decades tracks closely with the rise in crime and incarceration.

“Seldom in the social sciences has there been such a strong and consistent pattern of findings than the one that marriage, as our keystone institution, is strongly linked to the welfare of children, adults, and the country itself,” Distinguished University Professor of

Sociology at the University of Virginia, Brad Wilcox, wrote. “More than 50 years of social science and medical research generally demonstrate that married men and women live longer, have healthier lives, earn and save more money, recover more quickly and successfully from illness, steer clear of trouble with the law, are less likely to attempt and commit suicide, and are more likely to be happy. Indeed, on most measures of financial, physical, social, and emotional well-being, men, women, and children in stable married homes do better.”

Let’s Celebrate!

Tennessee's leaders have paved the way for us to highlight God’s design for the family in the public square this month. Now it's our turn to bring that mission to life in our homes, our churches, and our communities.

There are countless ways to participate. Pastors, consider dedicating a Sunday this month to a message on God's design for marriage and the family. Take a few minutes to write or call your state legislators – especially Rep. Bud Hulsey, who sponsored HJR 182 – and thank them for taking this stand. Volunteer together as a family at a local pregnancy resource center or family shelter and put your values into action. And perhaps most importantly, talk with your children about what the Bible says about families – the roles of parents, spouses, and children, and why God's design for the family is worth protecting. It is our responsibility to engrain these values in the next generation, and there is no better time to start than now!

]]> https://www.factennessee.org/news-views/commentary/2026/reclaiming-the-rainbow-celebrating-nuclear-family-month FACT info@factn.org 2026-05-28T07:06:09-05:00 2026-05-28T07:06:09-05:00 America's First “Detransition” Clinic Offers Hope to Victims of Trans Agenda settlement between the US Department of Justice, the state of Texas, and Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston – the largest children’s hospital in the United States.

The settlement comes after a years-long investigation led by the DOJ and Texas's Healthcare Program Enforcement Division, which concluded “that TCH fraudulently billed Texas Medicaid for ‘unallowable and illegal ‘gender-transition’ interventions.’”

The settlement also requires TCH to cease administering puberty blockers to minors, pay $10 million in penalties, fire five “woke” doctors who performed “gender transition” procedures on children, and fully fund the detransition clinic for five years.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a statement:

Today is a monumental day in the fight to stop the radical transgender movement. This historic settlement reflects an institutional and fundamental cultural shift away from radical ‘gender’ ideology. In addition to helping establish the first-ever Detransition Clinic and securing millions, this settlement will ensure that the deranged child mutilators who hurt our kids are fired and held accountable
Under the terms of this landmark agreement, Texas Children’s will establish the first-ever multidisciplinary clinic designed to provide medical care to patients who were subjected to 'gender-transition' procedures. This Detransition Clinic will help patients reverse the damage caused by ideologically-motivated physicians who harmed patients by performing dangerous medical interventions for the purpose of ‘transitioning’ them.

This groundbreaking settlement establishes an incredible precedent for the rest of the nation.
Every hospital that knowingly allowed the mutilation of children to occur on its watch should be similarly required to provide restorative care to undo the profound harm inflicted on innocent children.

Prominent detransitioner Chloe Cole testified to the immense damage the “trans” agenda inflicted upon her from a young age, and how culpable hospitals and medical providers were in the process:

I was treated negligently by my healthcare provider, but the biggest failure they made was encouraging and allowing me to medically transition as a child in the first place. I have suffered a multitude of complications from blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgery. My quality of life is still being impacted to this day.

Scientific research indisputably proves that “gender transition” treatments and procedures are dangerous, especially for minors. Below is a list of the known risks and side effects of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, according to the medical nonprofit watchdog Do No Harm:

Puberty blockers: severely diminished bone density, cognitive impairment, brain swelling that can lead to blindness, infertility, and negative effects on adult sexual function.
Cross-sex hormones for males: irreversible infertility; thromboembolic disease, including blood clots; cholelithiasis, including gallstones; coronary artery disease, including heart attacks; Type 2 diabetes; breast cancer; macroprolactinoma, which is a tumor of the pituitary gland; cerebrovascular disease, including strokes; depression; and hypertriglyceridemia, which is an elevated level of triglycerides in the blood.
Cross-sex hormones for females: these risks may include irreversible infertility; severe liver dysfunction; coronary artery disease, including heart attacks; increased risk of breast, cervical, and uterine cancers; cerebrovascular disease, including strokes; hypertension; erythrocytosis, which is an increase in red blood cells; sleep apnea; Type 2 diabetes; loss of bone density; elevated rates of aggression; depression; and destabilization of psychiatric disorders.

This brief list of possible, and in some cases unavoidable, side effects does not speak to the manifold risks involved with surgical intervention, which irreparably harm young children and leave them with life-long health complications.

We’re proud that Tennessee fought and won the battle to protect children from dangerous “gender affirming care” practices, but that victory doesn’t guarantee children were never harmed by this agenda within our borders – either before SB1 was established, or covertly afterward (as TCH did after Texas passed a Help Not Harm law). We hope and pray that if any Tennessee hospitals or practitioners have been involved in such schemes, they are held accountable and are held to the same standard as TCH.]]> https://www.factennessee.org/news-views/commentary/2026/americas-first-detransition-clinic-offers-hope-to-victims-of-trans-agenda FACT info@factn.org 2026-05-21T07:06:09-05:00 2026-05-21T07:06:09-05:00 Tennessee Ranks 9th on Children’s Rights Scorecard Them Before Us, a global children’s rights organization dedicated to putting kids’ needs before adult desires, released the first-ever Children’s Rights Scorecard to shed light on the protection of children across the US. This scorecard is the first tool to clearly measure whether policies put children first or sideline them in favor of adult interests.

The scorecard evaluates laws through a child-centered lens, focusing on children’s rights to stability, identity, and family connection. The scorecard’s website offers an interactive, easy-to-navigate platform where users can explore policy grades, compare issues, and clearly see where laws help or fail children.

As policy debates often fixate on economics and adult desires, this scorecard tool refocuses the conversation on what matters most: Are we putting children first?

Tennessee ranked 9th overall, with our laws on IVF significantly hampering our overall score, bringing our letter grade to a B minus.

“So far, three states—Colorado, Tennessee, and Washington—have declared a ‘right’ to IVF, with three more—Illinois, Ohio, and Minnesota—using language that could be interpreted to include this so-called ‘right,’” the report explained.

Here’s what researchers based Tennessee’s grade on:

? Mother-Father Language: Tennessee parentage law maintains language that refers to mothers and fathers.

???? Surrogacy: Tennessee statute defines surrogacy, but it neither classifies it as legal nor illegal. Pre-birth orders are generally granted if at least one commissioning parent is genetically related to the child.

? Donor Conception and IVF: Tennessee does not have any laws or case law addressing donor anonymity, donation frequency, or payments to donors. Under Tennessee law, parentage is automatically granted to the mother’s husband in cases of donor conception, and the child’s birth certificate will not reflect their true parentage.

? Redefinition of infertility and right to IVF: Tennessee does not redefine infertility to include “social infertility”, but in 2025, the state passed a law declaring IVF to be a “right”, creating potential challenges for future child-protective regulations on the fertility industry

? Natural Marriage: Tennessee has both constitutional and statutory language recognizing natural marriage (marriage between one man and one woman) as the only valid marriage arrangement. Tennessee has not legitimized same sex marriage.

???? Divorce: Tennessee allows no-fault divorce, but still recognizes fault-based grounds. The state does not require a six-month waiting period before filing or finalizing a divorce (the wait time is 60 days without children and 90 days for divorcing couples with minor children). Parental education on the impact of divorce on children is mandatory for all divorcing parents entering into a parenting plan, but the divorce cannot be denied if one party fails to attend the class, and the requirement may be waived by the court “for good cause.”

Make no mistake – Tennessee is a pro-family, pro-life, pro-child state. We have made incredible strides in this arena over the past several years, and we have always been a state that values faith, family, and freedom. This scorecard highlights, as we well know, that no state is perfect – including Tennessee. There are several areas where improvement is needed, specifically regarding IVF.

“Children are the most vulnerable members of society, and they deserve policies that protect them,” Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, stated. “For decades, we’ve passed laws that prioritize adult desires and called it ‘progress,’ while children bear the heavy cost. When lawmakers can clearly see where policies protect children and where they fail them, it creates real pressure to shift priorities and reshape laws so they truly support and uphold children’s rights.”

FACT remains steadfast in our dedication to championing children’s rights, particularly when it comes to safeguarding natural marriage and the nuclear family unit. Click here to support this vital mission.
]]> https://www.factennessee.org/news-views/commentary/2026/tennessee-ranks-9th-on-childrens-rights-scorecard FACT info@factn.org 2026-05-15T07:06:09-05:00 2026-05-15T07:06:09-05:00 Rededicating America for the Next 250 Years “The foundation of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” – Calvin Coolidge
On May 17, 1776, the Second Continental Congress held a day of “prayer, fasting, and humiliation” just weeks before declaring independence on July 4th. Leaders urged those early Americans to “confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his [God’s] righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness.” We need that same mediation and forgiveness for our nation today as we reach this historic milestone of 250 years of independence.

That’s why Freedom 250 is hosting an all-day prayer and worship service on Sunday, May 17, exactly 250 years after that first call to prayer, to bring thousands of Americans together from all walks of life in our nation’s capital. The day will be focused on thanking God for his blessings over the past 250 years, and asking for forgiveness, mercy, and guidance as we enter the next 250.

“We rejoice in the triumph of the American spirit and in the love and grace of Almighty God,” President Trump stated. “And just as our Founders came together in prayer before declaring independence, thousands of Americans will gather on Sunday, May 17, on the National Mall to rededicate the United States as One Nation Under God.”

The idea that America was not only founded as a Christian nation but remains so today is strenuously contested by the left – but a quick glimpse at statements from our earliest political leaders leaves no doubt.

“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” – John Adams, 2nd President of the United States

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected an indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” – John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States

“The great, vital, and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” – Congress, 1854

"Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent: our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." – US Supreme Court, Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 1892.

It is undeniable that America is a Christian nation with values deeply rooted in the Bible. Rededicate 250 will celebrate that heritage and encourage believers to pray for revival and repentance in our nation.

The event will be structured around three pillars:

Pillar I — The Miracles that Made Us: A reflection on God’s providence throughout 250 years, honoring the faith that inspired America’s founders and has carried us forward in every generation since.

Pillar II — The Miracles Still in Our Midst: Personal testimonies of God’s healing in our lives and in our land.

Pillar III — A New Birth of Faith and Freedom: A collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom — and a unified moment of rededication asking for God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250.

If you are near the D.C. area, we encourage you to join the event in person. If not, remote viewing options will be available through local churches and ministries. Details below:

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM Gates Open
10:45 AM-6:00 PM Full Program
Location: National Mall, Washington, D.C. — Main Stage at 12th Street

Livestream: Available nationwide through partner churches, ministries, and organizations.
Admission: Free and open to all Americans. Please register HERE.

At FACT, we believe in the power of prayer and the biblical call to petition the Lord on behalf of our leaders. If you are unable to attend Rededicate 250 in person, please consider gathering with fellow believers to lift up our nation in prayer on May 17. As Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.”

]]> https://www.factennessee.org/news-views/commentary/2026/rededicating-america-for-the-next-250-years FACT info@factn.org