Abortion is not a settled issue.
That’s the truth I heard from people over and over when I walked across the state in 2022 to talk with everyday Tennesseans about abortion. If you declare the issue settled — as state Rep. Jason Zachary did recently in a guest opinion column — you just aren’t listening.
But don’t take my word for it. According to the Guttmacher Institute , a research and health policy nongovernmental organization, 10,500 women traveled out of state in 2023 to obtain an abortion. The issue is not settled for them.
Eight women have sued Tennessee because our state’s abortion ban put their lives at risk. The issue is not settled for them.
In fact, the issue remains unsettled for the majority of Tennesseans. A Vanderbilt poll found the majority of Tennessee registered voters consider themselves definitely or somewhat pro-choice, including 93% of Democrats, 54% of Independents and 30% of non-MAGA Republicans.