The state House of Representative spent more than a half hour today debating a resolution with no practical effect – it would tell the federal government that Tennessee doesn’t approve of mandatory coverage of contraception the national health care plan.
There’s no guarantee that anyone in Washington will pay any attention to the memorializing resolution – but Republicans used it to quote scripture against the president’s health care plan.
Knoxville Republican Bill Dunn…
“It’s always been said, Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, render unto God what is God’s. And what’s happening now, is we’re taking what belongs to God, our conscience, and giving it to the government.”
It started a run of Bible verses from the resolution’s backers, whose main political point was that coverage of contraception would be a problem for Catholic organizations.
Nashville Democrat Mike Turner insisted the resolution was already outdated.
“This thing has been worked out from what was originally intended on this thing. The Catholic Charities, which runs 600 Catholic hospitals, the nun who’s in charge of that has signed off on this thing. The compromise has been worked out. This bill is not necessary, so therefore if it continues, it is purely political.”
The resolution passed 71 to 23, with six Democrats voting with the majority party.
The measure is expected to be adopted easily in the Senate next week.
WEB EXTRA
The measure is a non-binding, “memorializing” resolution, HJR 667 Cobb. Such measures are routinely passed to express displeasure with the feds.
Late in the debate, Memphis Republican Ron Lollar summed up the argument:
“I’ve got a moral obligation to oppose anything to where I spend my money for somebody else, to control their sex life. I don’t like it, I don’t support it, and I’m certainly in favor of this resolution going to Washington. And it’s not about the church interfering with the state. It’s about the federal government interfering in our personal life.”
Several Democratic women tried to focus on the reproductive health side of the question. Chattanooga Democrat Joanne Favors, a nurse by training:
“Sixty years ago it was common practice for women to have eight to twelve children. With the advent of technology and advanced knowledge, safe contraceptive procedures were put in place, in the last thirty to forty years. And so birth control has become a critical component of reproductive health, for women and for men.”
Nashville Democrat Sherry Jones said she was having to control her emotions:
“We blame women for everything there is, it’s always their fault. This has already been settled, in Congress, there’s nothing we can do about it. This is just posturing, and it’s all silly.”
Mike Turner, the Democratic caucus chair, weighed in:
“Contraception is something that’s personal. It should be left up to the woman to decide, and we …don’t need religious institutions, or governments, telling them what to do on contraception.”
But a number of members cited their Bibles. Bradley County Republican Eric Watson:
“In the book of Genesis, this is a great verse, too. I love this verse: ‘And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have domination over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living animal that moves upon the earth.”‘ Genesis 1: 28.”
Cosby Republican Jeremy Faison:
“Listen body, here’s what it is. Because we are Christians, we know that life has supreme value. We know that life is breathed by God, and is sanctified by God.”
Representative Johnny Shaw, a Democrat from Bolivar and a minister, took exception to the impromptu Bible lesson on the floor of the House.
“This is not the church. I’ll vote my conscience on this bill, I’ll just do that. But this is not the church, and I wish we’d stop putting the church where it doesn’t belong.”
Shaw also said:
“We need to stop playing with the righteousness of God, on this floor.”
The debate was mostly deadly serious, but Chattanooga Democrat Joanne Favors slipped and gave bill sponsor Jim Cobb a straight line.
“Favors: Representative, are you aware of any member of this chamber who is the biological parent of 12 children?
Cobb hesitates: I think…Ryan Haynes is.
(Laughter)
Favors: Can you verify that, sir?
Cobb: No, ah….”
Haynes, a 27-year old single Republican from Knoxville, was apparently only a convenient target for the joke.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM