In our commentary, read about the political and cultural issues affecting Tennesseans written from a conservative perspective. Columns are typically written by Dr. Kent DelHousaye, a trained political theologian and a longtime pastor and the current FACT president.
Test the Limits or Pull the Trigger—Two Approaches to Abortion
Mar 6, 2020 by David Fowler
Governor Lee’s abortion legislation (SB 2196/HB 2263) sailed out of the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. This coming Tuesday, both the governor’s proposal and the Rule of Law Life Act (SB 1780/HB 1962) will be on the calendar for discussion in the House Health Subcommittee. If you are pro-life, you need to know the primary—dare I say, dispositive—difference between the two types of abortion proposals.
The Pro-Life Issue That Stopped Me in My Tracks
Feb 28, 2020 by David Fowler
Next week we will see the details of Governor Lee’s proposed legislation on abortion. In anticipation of that, a friend suggested to me last week that I pull together in one article a summary of the key points I’ve made over recent months about how to evaluate abortion legislation. In doing so, I hit a criterion that literally stopped me in my writing tracks. But after something I said last week, I realized it was, for me, the criterion by which the others were to be evaluated.
Is Pro-life Despair Concerning Roe v. Wade’s Reversal Justified?
Feb 21, 2020 by David Fowler
Last week I spoke with a legislator who gave voice to what a number of legislators believe: The U.S. Supreme Court is not ready to reverse Roe v. Wade, so enacting any legislation—even that proposed by the governor—thinking it might lead to Roe’s reversal is mere fantasy. Then, on Monday, I got an email from a committed pro-life friend that was as despairing about the possibility of Roe being reversed as this legislator was. Perhaps this bit of truth will set them free.
Will SCOTUS Use Louisiana’s Abortion Law to Overturn Roe v. Wade?
Feb 14, 2020 by David Fowler
In August, members of the Judiciary Committee of the Tennessee Senate heard two pro-life legal experts say that it was not wise to enact any legislation that challenges the legitimacy of Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) and its progenitor, Roe v. Wade (1973). They said abortion laws that didn’t challenge Roe and Casey could still be used by the Court to overrule them. I just learned why that advice should be taken with a grain of salt and why it is highly unlikely SCOTUS will reverse Roe/Casey this summer.
Good and Bad Pro-Life Incremental Legislation
Feb 7, 2020 by David Fowler
Most likely the Tennessee Legislature will approve some pro-life legislation this session. For the Christian, the issue underlying every proposal will be whether incrementalism—not enacting legislation that directly attacks Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood—is, biblically-speaking, a good or bad approach.
Governor Lee Is Between a Litigious Rock and a Constitutional Hard Place
Jan 31, 2020 by David Fowler
By February 17, Governor Bill Lee will have to make a very hard decision with the potential for national repercussions. He will get sued either way, so he must base his decision on what, in his head and heart, he really believes and let the chips fall where they may. Here are the “bad” choices from which he must choose and the only constitutionally defensible solution available to him.
Tennessee Thrives and the Lie From the Pit of Hell
Jan 17, 2020 by David Fowler
Tuesday, the Tennessee Senate passed and sent to the governor a bill that, in sum, prohibits a governor from trying, by executive order or regulation, to force private organizations to make adoption placements in violation of their religious beliefs about the family structure a child needs. As a “woke” Christian, I realized one of the arguments against it came from the pit of hell, and a good friend’s bit of advice from years ago proved helpful on Wednesday.
Do Refugee Opponents, Political Conservatives, and Evangelicals Really Want to ‘Save’ America?
Jan 10, 2020 by David Fowler
Last week I wrote about the governor’s decision regarding refugee resettlement in relation to Congressman Mark Green’s national commentary that only federalism could “save America.” I said I didn’t think Tennessee’s elected officials or evangelicals understood the breadth of that challenge. Something I did this week tells me we will soon find out if they do. It has been a gut check for me.
What to Make of Congressman Green’s Prescription for Saving America
Jan 3, 2020 by David Fowler
On January 1, the U.S. representative from Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Mark Green, penned an editorial in which he said, “I’m more convinced than ever that the only thing that will save America is what started America: Federalism.” He is mostly right, but where he is right, Tennessee’s elected officials and Tennessee’s evangelicals better understand the breadth of?his challenge to assert the principle of dual sovereigns embodied in federalism. I’m not sure they really do.
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