MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Abortion may not be the top issue for Americans these days – what with gas, food, and rent prices through the roof, but it is still very much a part of the public debate in this midterm election year.
The Biden administration weighed deeper into the dispute on Monday, telling hospitals across America that they must provide abortion services if they help safeguard the life of the mother. The administration said that in states that make no exception to abortion bans, the federal law protecting the life of the pregnant mother would supersede state laws.
Abortion bans in Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee make exceptions to protect a woman’s life. So by that, the Biden administration’s order has no impact in the Mid-South.
But the federal order does not address the other major concern with abortion bans – pregnancies that result from rape or incest. Laws in Tennessee and Arkansas make no exception for rape and incest, while Mississippi’s ban makes allowances for rape but not incest.
When asked about this recently during a stop in Memphis, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty’s only response was two wrongs don’t make a right.
No, abortion is not the number one issue in America. But it is an issue that millions of women – and men – are forced to face. And outlawing the procedure in cases of rape and incest is just plain wrong, no matter where you stand on the broader question.