welcome back to open line we are talking
with state senator mark pody republican
from lebanon he is here literally while
the legislators on a recess on a short
break he's here talking with us about
what's going on up there but also about
some of the bills dealing with abortion
that have come up in this legislative
session we will have Planned Parenthood
on Monday you are pro-life and have
supported many of the bills that have
come up and so we talked about one which
was the heartbeat bill and how it
changed and involved and also - they
were streaming this live in our news
channel 5 + Facebook page comment and
we'll read some of the comments what are
some of the other bills there abortion
bills alright so another one is should
government continue to put money into
for example Planned Parenthood and
Planned Parenthood there are some things
that they do with the women's facilities
and women's health that are terrific
however there are some people that are
feel very strongly it should not be
supportive for abortion and partly we'll
look at it this way if if the woman is
right and I'm absolutely wrong on my
issue that that it is totally up to the
women's and there's not life in there
and she should be able to do whatever
she wants and I'm absolutely wrong and
I'm making that that lady go through a
very hard emotional issue and for nine
months she's going to have to carry this
baby and then either give it up for
abortion right for adoption or or raise
that baby and and I gotta accept that I
could be if that's correct that's what
I'm putting somebody through however if
if I'm right and that is a life then I
could do everything I possibly can to
protect that life to the fullest I can't
so in this case I believe in my heart
that I'm right
and I'm gonna protect that so if there's
money from the federal government or
state government that's going to a
facility that would perform that and
there's other facilities that would give
the same health programs that Planned
Parenthood has let's direct that money
to the exact same health facilities in
the same neighborhoods
rather than give that money to people
that might get abortions and so we're
not trying to say that you know the
health services don't have to happen we
want those health services the wellness
services and the checkups for four women
we want that we want to fund that we
just don't want to fund it in
organizations that are doing abortions
so is there a sense that with President
Trump in office now he certainly wants
to appoint justices to the Supreme Court
that that he said would overturn Roe
versus Wade is there a sense that
legislators that lean more pro-life are
trying to pass all kinds of things that
could get up to the Supreme Court and
overturn that I won't say that there's a
big sense that's different because every
single year that I've been here we've
tried to do something so we've always
tried to see if we can't pass some piece
of legislation to do that now that
president Trump's there we do feel that
maybe we can take a little bigger step
so so there might be a bigger step that
we're trying but it's not that we
haven't been trying this whole time so
it's not like all of a sudden a year ago
we said huh president Crump's there so
now we can do something we've been
trying to carry this conversation
throughout the time that I've been there
so all eight years I've been here we've
been holding this conversation and these
kind of bills is this year bigger you're
looking at like four bills you've tried
to advance something every year but what
about is this year are you seeing more
activity no I would say our biggest
success was on what they call sjr 127
and and that turned into a
constitutional amendment for the state
of Tennessee so who in the eight years
that I've been here that by far has been
the huge or the biggest success that
that we've had because that made it
where Tennessee is a neutral state it's
not pro or con a an abortion issue it
used to be we were very favorable for
abortions in Tennessee and once we got
that as a constitutional amendment we
became totally Teflon it's not pro or
con it is now neutral the law of the
land is abortion is legal some states
are restricting it Tennessee's right up
there to the point that it's going to be
very difficult
I don't know if you would say impossible
but very difficult to get an abortion
how do you feel about that that there's
some states if you just go across the
state line the laws are completely
different and from one state to another
somebody in Tennessee might have a
really difficult time getting an
abortion in another state it would be a
completely different thing is that is
that a good thing patchwork sort of
situation across the entire country
I for where I am I like the fact that
Tennessee should have Tennessee rules
Tennessee laws and values and I don't
think that Tennessee needs to implant
what we believe in New York or what we
believe in California let each of those
states make their decisions of what they
feels right now the federal government's
there for some things and we want them
to have continuity but on something like
this if it's a state-by-state basis I'm
fine because that way I'm not worried
about what they're doing in New York at
this point I'm going to worry about
what's happening in Tennessee so people
that don't have means people who don't
have money they probably wouldn't get to
travel to New York or some other state
that has a more lenient situation and
then so they're there they're here
they've got there under those those
rules and so if there's somebody who for
whatever reason they desperately want
feel like it's the right thing for them
to do to have an abortion and they have
means and they can travel to another
state and somebody that doesn't have
means they can't how do you feel about
that I I'm not here to justify you know
in that case I'm here to fight for every
baby we're there that mother has means
or not I want to point try and protect
us save that baby for those that that
feel you know what you're putting me in
a spot where I've got to raise these
children we want to make it is if they
want to put those children up for
adoption we will help them do that we
want to make it as easy and as is
painless we possibly can I understand
that they've got this and it's going to
be the emotional scar giving up a child
or whatever and and I get that but on
the other hand I also get that this is a
this is a life and I want to do
everything I possibly can to protect
that life so I'm going to put that life
of that baby ahead of the needs of that
there
and then I just feel very strongly we
want to protect those babies let's go to
the phone let's go to Lucy hello Lucy
what's on your mind well hey mr. pony I
appreciate you coming over because I
know you are really busy over there on
Capitol Hill but you said something
earlier you said that these unborn
fetuses were citizens and that it was
your duty to protect them and I'm just
curious if I was from China and I came
here to Tennessee since I'm I would be a
Communist Chinese I would not be a
citizen
therefore my baby wouldn't be a citizen
do you think it's still okay for me to
go ahead and have the abortion because a
lot of a lot of women are coming here
from China and having what they call
these anchor babies to get citizenship
for their babies but what if they had to
have an abortion you know at six months
or something you said they're coming
here about two months before they're due
what if they had to have an abortion say
it you know five months and could they
have one in Tennessee since they're not
a citizen and I'll just take your
comments off the air if you feel I can't
Lucy that's that's a very great comment
and that's a very good point but I'm
here to protect life and I'm not here to
say it's gonna be because they're from
one country or another or whatever if
I'm protecting life I want to protect
that life so however that falls out I
want to I want to do everything I can to
protect that life the citizen is that's
not play for you no no that that's not
that's not the issue
you know so that the citizenship would
mean you know what other rights are
entitled to I'm saying they're entitled
to life and that's what I'm trying to
fight for what are some of the other
bills that were up for abortion dealing
with abortion right so there was
actually another one that was kind of
interesting and that just happened today
it passed on the Senate floor tonight
and that was should they have something
on the Capitol grounds for I'm saying
like a monument to the unborn children
and and that's gone through a
metamorphosis of different types of
things that should have or shouldn't
have it was not one that I was jumping
up and down to do I'm not saying that
that's you know I wasn't going to
sponsor the bill or whatever and in one
form I wasn't even jumping up down to
support it but the way it came out when
we actually said how is this gonna
happen it's suggesting to the Capitol
Commission that they should consider
putting this on the grounds of the
Capitol all over the cost of this being
it's not going to cost anything because
it's if it's gonna happen it would have
to be done by private citizens with with
raised by private monies through
donations so it wouldn't cost the state
anything you know there are some people
who say you know what you're putting
something on the grounds that would
cause me emotional stress every time I
walk through it and but I could say you
know what Andrew Jackson has some of the
same things you know I mean I look what
things we have done that we would call
heroes at one time but people would say
you know that they hurt my ancestry or
they did this and the other hand there's
be people saying you know what at least
we're recognizing the the people that
have gone through it and they want to
turn around and have a way that they can
vent their their feelings in a positive
way so is there a dictate about what it
would look like no how do we determine
that would be up to the Capitol
Commission and I'm glad I'm not on the
Capitol Commission so that that's a you
know the speaker points different people
on there I think the governor appoints
different people on there and they make
those decisions you know if I had my
choice I would say you know that could
be done at a private place somewhere and
do something like that rather than on
and the capitol grounds however I am
going to try and go for as many pro-life
things as I as I can and when the
senator came up and said you know I know
the people in the Capitol Commission and
I just want the legislative intent to
say that this is suggestions that what
we're suggesting the Capitol Commission
will do I was more comfortable with it
that way so it passed it passed in both
the House and Senate both House and
Senate is passed and so then if governor
Haslam signs it it's gonna happen it's
going to happen how soon would there be
a monument it could take years if the
Capitol Commission decides to do it they
could decide not to so so it's not
saying that you will do that
it's not a deadline you have to do it by
this date or you have to raise the funds
if there's no money raised it's not
going to happen so it's not something
that is we're saying will be done by
such and such a time and it's going to
cost this much money sometimes it's
almost seems like people are up there
just trying to poke at each other you
know like this I don't know what this
does I mean maybe it makes people feel
better but again it's it's not getting
it the real issue that's correct
you know and it's just maybe just makes
people upset and like I wasn't jumping
up and down for it originally and it's
not the major piece that went through I
would much rather have science help
determine where we are and move forward
or things that we can't agree on and and
sometimes that's the best thing to do is
what can we all agree on with one side
or another and get that done and where
we're not walking away with everybody
upset and I think that this the bill
that we did with ultrasound was maybe a
good way to look at that you know I mean
it's it's definitely going to get more
facts out for people to say you know I
get to see what that baby would look
like and see the movement and such and
then make determination what they want
to go from from there as far as
accessibility to abortion in Tennessee
where do we where do we stand
pretty easy it you think it's pretty
easy yes yes it is it we are so we're
not necessarily the destination state
that we were at one point because a few
years ago we were one of the destination
states in the nation but we are still up
there with the number of abortions that
we do we're still a fairly easy state
theater Martians let's go to Bill here
before we go to break hello bill yes go
right ahead what's on your mind yes this
is just part about abortion is really
puzzling me because I don't see how
anyone can you know an organism to be
called an individual wife has to have
self awareness
and how can 81 look at an x-ray or an
ultrasound and determine when
self-awareness enters a fetus so this is
the argument about when life begins
you're saying life begins when there is
self-awareness right all right so this
okay this is good this is that debate
you know I don't know that we can ever
answer this hi your aunt you're probably
gonna say it's about when the heart beat
starts and he's gonna say well it's self
awareness which wouldn't be until after
I don't win they're self aware well that
could mean that there's people that are
in a vegetable state or they're in a
coma or are they self-aware are they
aware of what's going on and so if
that's that that's the key of when
somebody is life and that could be an
argument that is that he obviously bill
obviously has I understand that there's
gonna be different points of view of
when that might happen
in my case I just think that it is not
self-awareness I think that there's
other times that it would be life and if
somebody's in a coma
I believe that's life and I want to
protect their life you know we had the
right to not die things you know should
we help them help them die and I don't I
don't think that we should I think that
we want to protect that life as much as
I can
oh and I said you might think it's with
the heart be but it and the other is
just at the moment of conception yes and
I'm a conception guy so that would that
would take it back really further yes
yes moment of conception or heartbeat or
self awareness yes and there's no way to
know the right and right now we don't
there's not a scientific way that we
could say that this is this is it and
that's why there's gonna be people on
both sides of the issue
and they're passionate about it and
they're gonna be trying to discuss
what's going ahead and I would rather
find a way to do it in and I know it's
an emotional issue but I'd rather find a
way that we can talk through it with
common sense and say what can we do to
go forward and and whatever that ground
is let's work on that ground first and
then worry about other things later but
is there are issues that we can go
forward on together first alright we're
gonna take a break
we should have taken break a while ago
we'll take a break and come back there's
a number one call six one five seven
three seven plus six one five seven
three seven seven five eight seven take
a break be back right after this
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