Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, what happens next?
Greetings, readers:
My inbox has been flooded with comments, letters to the editor and guest commentary about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade.
After justices released their ruling, protests erupted in cities across Tennessee and the nation, but supporters of the decision have also been celebrating and demonstrating.
Tennessee's trigger law means abortion will be banned in the weeks to come.
I have heard from pro-life and pro-choice voices and offer a selection in this week's newsletter:
Misty Anderson of East Tennessee shares how her great-grandmother died because of an illegal abortion.
Kathy Clark, who worked as a rural nurse in Sparta, talks about her work tending to women obtaining abortions and calls on others not to judge them.
Veronica Tadross, CEO of the Bipartisan Feminist Project, urges people to find common ground, especially those who support women's rights and some restrictions on abortion.
Planned Parenthood volunteer Ren Brabenec said justices further divided the nation and compared the ruling to the Dred Scott decision that helped lead to the Civil War.
Columnists for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee also weighed in:
Cameron Smith argues that outrage over the Roe reversal is antithetical to American democracy. He supports the majority in the Supreme Court ruling who saw Roe as flawed.
Meanwhile, Keel Hunt faults leaders for failing Americans in the wake of the decision and demands that politicians stop playing games.
Kyra Watts said she is still processing the decision but criticizes Tennessee leaders for focusing so much on banning abortion and not doing more to support needy women and children.
Also, in case you missed it, replay last Friday's audio Twitter Spaces conversation that the USA TODAY Network opinion and engagement team held with reporters Maria Clark of The American South and Melissa Brown, who covers the Tennessee statehouse. We discussed the implications of the Supreme Court decision for Tennessee and the South.
What else is in this week's newsletter?
Chloe Cerutti reminds citizens that July 5 is the deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 4 election in Tennessee.
Ken Paulson, executive director of the Free Speech Center, talks about the importance of a free press in sustaining democracy as we celebrate Independence Day this weekend.
Robert Booker gives a brief history of Black and white churches in Knoxville.
Twitter Spaces on Friday
The topic of this week's Twitter Spaces is "Do you still free in America today?" It is a look at Independence Day in light of recent legislation and rulings. Listen live at noon CDT Friday through The Tennessean's Twitter account. Listen to the conversation and weigh in, whether you agree or disagree.
Also, I will be doing my annual live recitation of the Declaration of Independence at 9 a.m. CDT on Monday. Tune in on The Tennessean's Facebook page.
Upcoming candidate forums
The fifth of six USA TODAY Network Tennessee gubernatorial and congressional primary forums is at University of Tennessee Chattanooga on Thursday at 6 p.m. CDT/7 p.m. EDT. If you can't make it, watch it live at this link.
Find the full schedule here, replay videos of the last four forums, and sign up for tickets. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Thank you!
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. Email him at dplazas@tennessean.com, call him at (615) 259-8063 or tweet to him at @davidplazas. Subscribe to a USA TODAY Network - Tennessee publication.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Roe v. Wade: Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, what happens next?
