Image: Tennessee State Senators Becky Massey & Richard Briggs Image Credit: State Senator Richard Briggs / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7) has been working to undo, piece by piece, Tennessee’s “Human Life Protection Act” that he helped pass back in 2019.
Sen. Briggs is currently trying to garner support for a new piece of legislation he calls the “Freedom to Have Children and a Family Act,” which would weaken Tennessee’s current abortion law under the guise that healthcare providers are not able to properly treat women which could lead to infertility or the death of a mother.
“That is the most basic human right we have,” said Briggs, “is the right for a couple to be able to have children and a family.”
Besides the flawed logic behind this idea that humans have an inherent right to have children or an inherent right to have a family, Briggs seems to be focusing on this idea in an attempt to convince his conservative constituents that he is fighting for something good.
However, in a recent interview with NPR, Briggs was quite transparent about his intentions concerning abortion law.
While he voted for Tennessee’s “trigger law” otherwise known as the “Human Life Protection Act,” he did so under the expectation that Roe v. Wade would not be overturned.
“The truth was I thought it would never come to be,” he said.
“What, to me, is unacceptable is if you determine that there is a pregnancy that cannot live outside the womb and you’re going to force that woman to carry that to term,” Briggs continued.
Even now with the “trigger law” in place, abortion is not entirely banned in Tennessee.
Penalties for breaking abortion law are currently on providers only, with no penalties for the woman seeking out an abortion.
There is also the issue of non-traditional methods of abortion like mail-order abortion pills which have quickly gained traction across the country.
Ultimately, the goal of Briggs’ “Freedom to Have Children and a Family Act” is “to give more authority to doctors to terminate these kinds of pregnancies and lessen criminal penalties.”
According to Tennessee Right to Life’s Legal Counsel, Will Brewer, Briggs’ bill creates exceptions for abortions that are too broad.
“Bad faith actors can fit a lot of things into that exception and get away with it,” Brewer said.
Briggs appears determined to break down the protections that he helped establish for babies in the womb, between his efforts last year and the legislation he has proposed this year.
“Just because you pass a law,” Briggs said, “doesn’t mean it’s immutable and it’s never going to be changed.”
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee.
You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
