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A By-product of Christian Nationalism
Toward theocracy in Tennessee
My writing last week focused on a disturbing rise in Christian Nationalism — from restricting reproductive health to establishing a clear preference for a particular interpretation of one religion.
In Tennessee post-Dobbs, it is nearly impossible to get an abortion. Doctors who perform the procedure are guilty of a felony, and the burden is on the doctor to prove the procedure was necessary (life-saving) in order to avoid further prosecution.
Here’s what that means: You perform an abortion and are charged, then must submit evidence in your defense to establish that the abortion you performed wasn’t the felony kind.
Of course, if a judge or jury doesn’t agree, prosecution proceeds — and you can face jail time.
The result: Doctors aren’t performing critical reproductive health procedures and women in need of this healthcare are forced to travel to other states.
Over at The Education Report, I wrote about Louisiana’s requirement for schools to post the Ten Commandments.
In the piece, I noted that Tennessee’s leaders have expressed a desire to follow a decidedly Christian (and quite conservative) path when it comes to education policy.
While Gov. Bill Lee failed to secure his signature policy initiative (universal school vouchers) this past legislative session, he has indicated he will continue the fight until the end of his term in 2026.
Those vouchers will funnel public money to private, mostly religious (and mostly conservative Christian) schools. The schools will not be burdened with any pesky accountability.
Finally, I noted that a long-time education policy leader in the state will be moving on to a new role:
