“The right of an innocent person simply to live…is so fundamental that it
transcends political boundaries.”
Senator David Fowler, Monday, February 23, 2004
Tennessee Right to Life speaks today on behalf of the state’s pro-life movement in expressing our deep and abiding respect and appreciation to David Fowler for his tireless efforts to restore protection for human life in our state. “Having served in the state Senate for 12 years, Senator Fowler has taken the lead on the single most significant challenge to the state’s pro-life movement,” said Karen Brukardt, Legislative Lobbyist for Tennessee Right to Life. “He has been a tireless leader in efforts to undo the terrible decision by the state Supreme Court which struck the bulk of Tennessee’s pro-life protections by finding a ‘right to abortion’ in the state Constitution.”
David Fowler receiving the inaugural “Legislator of the Year” award by Tennessee Right to Life in 2004.
During his three terms, David Fowler co-sponsored common sense laws including parental consent for minor children seeking abortion, Tennessee’s ban on partial birth abortion, and the Choose Life specialty plate. Beginning in 2001, Senator Fowler served as prime sponsor for three separate resolutions calling for a public vote on the controversial 2000 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Sundquist. All passed the state Senate overwhelmingly, due in large part to his unparalleled ability to articulate the need for allowing Tennesseans a voice in public policy.
“There has been much talk in recent years about the right of the people to vote to amend the state Constitution,” Fowler said in 2001. “It is only right that the people should have an opportunity to decide whether they want to accept or reject that court-made (pro-abortion) amendment and whether they think that reasonable protections for the woman and her child should be in place,” argued Senator Fowler while introducing pro-life resolution SJR 110.
Senator Fowler was the first legislator to rise to the challenge and to urge a public vote to allow the restoration of the stricken laws, according to Brian Harris, president of Tennessee Right to Life. “Senator Fowler has been a voice for the people of Tennessee who would otherwise have been silenced by activist, pro-abortion courts,” said Harris. “It is hard for me to imagine the state Senate without David Fowler but it is a certainty that his vision, work and leadership will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
