Pro-Life Campaign Thanks Grassroots Supporters and Religious Leaders
Nashville—Tennessee’s campaign to win passage of pro-life Amendment 1 is celebrating a hard-fought victory despite being outspent more than 2-1 by abortion advocates. The Yes on 1 campaign raised and spent $1.5 million in contrast to at least $4 million reported by Planned Parenthood’s “NO” campaign.
16 abortion facilities in Tennessee and across the country contributed a total of $3.5 million in efforts to defeat the pro-life amendment.
“We are grateful to God and to the good people of Tennessee for this victory,” said Brian Harris, president of Tennessee Right to Life and a coordinator with Yes on 1. “Despite millions of abortion dollars flooding our airwaves with deceptive ads, the people of Tennessee saw through the falsehoods and made their voices heard.”
Yes on 1 coordinated a statewide grassroots campaign heavy on volunteers and smaller financial contributions from individuals, churches and pro-life organizations. “We recognized that we would never have the financial resources of the abortion industry so began planning long ago to build a team of advocates who could educate and organize their local communities,” Harris said. That effort paid off, especially in rural regions of the state where volunteers raised funds and awareness of both the amendment and the 2000 court ruling in Planned Parenthood of Middle Tennessee v Sundquist, a decision which claimed a fundamental right to abortion.
Harris also gave special credit to clergy and religious leaders throughout the state who made support for the Amendment a priority. “In the end this could be characterized as pastors and pulpits in opposition to Planned Parenthood’s abortion-profiteering. We owe a debt of gratitude to men and women of faith who refused to accept Tennessee’s designation as an abortion destination and who actively used their influence to promote the protection of innocent human life.”