50 and still going strong

Tennessee Right to Life celebrates five decades as fight to protect the unborn continues

The East Tennessee Catholic

Tennessee Right to Life is marking a major milestone this year as the pro-life organization that began in 1976 when a small group of women sat at a kitchen table and decided to fight for the survival of babies in the womb celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The grassroots work of the women, including Diocese of Knoxville parishioners Mary Dunn and Hazel Brimi, continues today with a new generation of advocates, and the statewide organization they created is fighting harder than ever to turn the tide of abortion.

A year of celebration commenced on March 24 in Nashville, where hundreds of Tennessee Right to Life leaders and supporters gathered for Pro-Life Day on the Hill, a daylong summit where participants congregated in fellowship at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, received updates on TRL legislative and organizational initiatives, and then visited with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to deliver pro-life messages.

“This is probably the most important thing that you could be doing today. It’s good that you are here to stand for life in the halls of our government, where life and death decisions are made. It matters that you are here,” said Stacy Dunn, president of Tennessee Right to Life and a member of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville.

Mrs. Dunn pointed out that March 24 also was the day Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading provider of abortions, was on Capitol Hill lobbying for pro-abortion legislation.

As pro-life supporters filled the floors of the Cordell Hull state office building, where legislators’ offices are located, they encountered the Planned Parenthood crowd.

However, the Tennessee Right to Life contingent’s voices were heard as key legislation to solidify the state’s position as having the strongest pro-life laws in the nation passed in the House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee.

The nearly 300 people on hand for Pro-Life Day on the Hill relished the anniversary as many of them have followed in the footsteps of family members and friends who have carried the mantle of life.

For years, the annual event was called Women’s Day on the Hill. However, the group realized that men make up a growing segment of the pro-life movement and should be included in the annual day to celebrate life.

“Our organization was chartered 50 years ago. So, we stand on the shoulders of giants who began this work in our state after it became apparent that the tragic Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade wasn’t going away, and they needed to organize and officially enter the battle for life,” Mrs. Dunn told those assembled. “We are walking in their footsteps today and carrying on the important work they started 50 years ago. And today you will be a part—a very important part—of continuing the work that was started 50 years ago building a culture of life in our state. And you will see for yourself that it matters that you are here.”

Father Patrick Fitzsimons, associate pastor of St. Stephen Parish in Old Hickory, opened the event in prayer.

“Almighty God, giver of all that is good, we thank you for the precious gift of human life; for life in the womb coming to creative power; for the life of our children making us glad with freshness and promise; for the life of our young people hoping for a better world; for the life of people who are disabled, teaching us that every life has value; for the life of the elderly, witnessing the ageless values of patience and wisdom. Like Mary, who said yes to God to be the mother of our Savior, the Light of Life, may we always say yes to Your gift. May we defend it and promote it from natural conception to natural death. And bring us at last, O Father, to the fullness of eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen,” Father Fitzsimons prayed.

Honoring Lt. Gov. McNally

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who has served in the General Assembly since 1978 and has announced he is retiring this year and will not seek reelection, received the Lifetime Advocate Award from Tennessee Right to Life for his support of the organization and his effective advocacy of pro-life legislation.

Lt. Gov. McNally was first elected to the House from Anderson County and served four terms. He began serving in the Senate in 1987 and has served continuously since then. He was elected lieutenant governor by his legislative peers in 2017.

The lieutenant governor, who is a member of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, received a standing ovation from the Pro-Life Day on the Hill attendees and thanked Tennessee Right to Life for the award.

“It is a real pleasure for me to receive this. But I couldn’t do it without the help of the people in the Senate and the people in the House. … This is something I will cherish in my retirement years. Thank you for all you do, and I appreciate all the help you have given me through the years,” Lt. Gov. McNally said.

Also recognized with Tennessee Right to Life’s Lifetime Advocate Award was Kent Pruitt, Shelby County chapter president for TRL, who also has served on the state board for Tennessee Right to Life.

“Mr. Kent Pruitt has been involved with life-saving efforts since at least 1976. He was involved with our organization way back in the day when we were called Tennessee Volunteers for Life. And chapter records show he joined the Shelby County chapter at its second meeting in 1976. Kent has served other pro-life organizations, including Memphis Coalition for Life and 40 Days for Life, and I am told he has spent more time on the sidewalk outside abortion facilities around Memphis than anyone else,” Mrs. Dunn said.

“I know he has spent countless hours at county fairs and other outreach efforts working the booth in helping his community to understand the humanity of the unborn child and the tragedy of abortion,” Mrs. Dunn added.

Mr. Pruitt also received an ovation.

Will Brewer, lobbyist and legal counsel for Tennessee Right to Life, described Sen. McNally as an invaluable friend of life in the legislature whose leadership has made a profound impact on pro-life laws in the state.

Legislative insight

Mr. Brewer updated the group on pro-life legislation that was making its way through the General Assembly.

“Our priority piece of legislation this year … is a bill that started last year, House bill 5 by Rep. Gino Bulso of Brentwood and Senate bill 419 by Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald,” Mr. Brewer said.

Rep. Bulso is Catholic and a parishioner in the Diocese of Nashville.

Mr. Brewer explained the legislation, saying in Tennessee it is illegal to have a surgical abortion or to abort a fetus by taking the abortion pill.

“There is a criminal penalty for that. There are professional sanctions by the medical board for physicians who violate the law. However, the civil monetary judgment part of this law is weak, and it needs teeth. We need a strong disincentive for abortion-pill providers to stop sending pills into Tennessee,” Mr. Brewer noted. “That is because abortionists from Chicago, New York, India, and across the country and the world are shipping abortion pills into Tennessee in droves.”

He pointed out that the process for securing abortion pills by mail order is shockingly easy. Those seeking an abortion go online, answer three questions, pay about $150, and in two to three days the pills are on their doorstep.

A Pro-Life Day on the Hill participant, Cathy Waterbury, who manages a West Tennessee pregnancy resource center, was highlighted for her testimony in the General Assembly detailing the process to obtain abortion pills in Tennessee.

“Cathy Waterbury is here. She gave really compelling testimony last year about her pregnancy resource center ordering abortion pills just to see what the process was like. Her testimony was that for $150 and by answering three easy questions that had nothing to do with your medical condition, the pills were on her doorstep in three days. And when they came, they were in an unmarked package. You couldn’t see who it came from. There were barely any instructions. But one instruction said if you have medical complications from this pill, go immediately to the emergency room but do not tell them where this came from or what you took,” Mr. Brewer said.

“This is happening all across our state. We have girls and women who think that they know what they’re doing, but next to the package they received is an unmarked box of abortion pills they are taking, not knowing what they are aborting or how the abortion process will turn out,” he added. “Our goal is to create a financial disincentive. It’s very difficult to indict an abortionist in Chicago and then extradite him back to Tennessee to prosecute him. And they know that. So, they don’t have a strong criminal disincentive to stop doing this. We have to hit them where it counts, which is their wallets.”

This legislation is working its way through the House and Senate, and TRL is hopeful it will be signed into law by Gov. Lee.

“This will create a million-dollar cause of action. Where it was last year and earlier this year, the law has called for civil penalties up to $1 million. That will be gone. It will be a million-dollar cause of action,” Mr. Brewer said. “If you ship abortion pills into this state, the mother of the baby, the father of the baby, the grandparents of the baby can file a lawsuit against the abortion provider and get $1 million.”

Mr. Brewer described the legislation as the largest financial penalty for shipping abortion pills in the country.

“Even though we have outlawed abortion in this state, it is estimated that there are about 8,500 medical abortions happening in our state every year,” he shared.

Mr. Brewer said Tennessee Right to Life is supporting legislation that mirrors a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision, which determined that fertilized embryos in an Alabama in vitro fertilization clinic are human life.

“We are also trying to create regulations for IVF facilities. It is the wild, wild west of medical technology, so we need to do whatever we can to make sure that there are regulations and oversight,” he said, noting that in April 2024 a Nashville IVF clinic abruptly closed, forcing the state of Tennessee to step in and take over the clinic to make sure the embryos were not destroyed.

“We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Mr. Brewer said, referring to House bill 2290 sponsored by Rep. Ryan Williams and Senate bill 2461 sponsored by Sen. Paul Bailey. “There already is federal oversight of IVF clinics, but there is no state oversight. This would require IVF facilities to be licensed and certified by the state Department of Health,” he added.

Other legislation Tennessee Right to Life is supporting in the 2026 General Assembly includes:

• A bill making it a class B felony to commit arson against a pregnancy resource center.
• A bill repealing a 2018 law making it easier for individuals and groups to sue the state over legislation that becomes law. The legislation, which narrowly passed the House and Senate and awaits Gov. Lee’s signature, makes it harder for people to sue Tennessee over pro-life laws approved by the legislature and the governor.

Mr. Brewer listed a number of pro-abortion bills that were defeated in the legislature this session that would have overturned or weakened Tennessee’s pro-life laws.

“Those are huge victories,” he told the assembly numbering 285.

And a key piece of legislation that Tennessee Right to Life opposed would have allowed prosecution of women who received abortions.

“Our point of view was yes, we want life to be protected at all stages, but we want to show sympathy and compassion for women. We do not want to prosecute them,” Mr. Brewer said, noting that abortionists are the ones who should be held criminally and civilly accountable for violating Tennessee’s statutes outlawing abortion.

Pro-life filmmakers

Also part of the daylong Pro-Life Day on the Hill program was a presentation by film producer Marc Aramian, who is making a movie with his wife, writer/director Veronica DiPippo, titled “He Named Him Adam.”

Mr. Aramian updated the group on the film, telling participants that Angel Studios, which has distributed “The Chosen,” “Sound of Freedom,” and “Cabrini,” has given “He Named Him Adam” high marks.

Mr. Aramian and Mrs. DiPippo and their Crunch Entertainment production company are actively raising money through investors to complete production of “He Named Him Adam,” which stars Vivica Fox, Kelsey Grammer, and Sam Sorbo.

Mr. Aramian and Mrs. DiPippo have a distribution deal with Angel Studios and have raised $600,000 toward $3.5 million to make the pro-life film that is based on the true-life story of Regina Block, a Chattanooga woman who found healing and purpose after the trauma of abortion.

Mr. Aramian and Mrs. DiPippo are members of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga and also produced the film “Father Ryan: A Higher Call” about Father Patrick Ryan, a former basilica priest who has been declared a Servant of God and whose cause for sainthood is before the Vatican.

Unwavering commitment

Daniel Breeden, executive director of Tennessee Right to Life, said the organization this year is celebrating five decades of unwavering commitment to defending the dignity and value of every human life.

“For half a century, God has been faithful. For half a century, Tennesseans have shown up. For half a century, life has been defended law by law, heart by heart, generation by generation,” Mr. Breeden said.

Founded in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, Tennessee Right to Life emerged at a time when the unborn were stripped of legal protection and cultural support. What began as a determined grassroots effort grew into one of the strongest, most influential pro-life organizations in the nation, Mr. Breeden noted.

“Through decades of cultural shifts, political pressure, and legal battles, one thing never changed: the belief that every human life has inherent dignity and worth,” he said.

He pointed out that because of that conviction, Tennessee became a national leader in pro-life law; parents, women, children, the disabled, and the elderly gained protection; and churches, families, and communities found a voice for life.

“This legacy was built by faithful volunteers, courageous leaders, generous supporters, and a shared commitment to truth,” Mr. Breeden said.

Mrs. Dunn said Tennessee Right to Life worked for nearly 50 years toward a day that many thought would never come—when Roe v. Wade would be overturned. That day happened on June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the federal Constitution does not confer a right to abortion and returned to states the right to decide the legality of abortion.

But as many thought abortion would become a thing of the past, and as TRL-supported state laws took effect to ban abortion throughout the state, abortion is again surging in Tennessee because of the abortion pill.

While no surgical abortions have been performed in Tennessee in three years, nearly 10,000 medical abortions have taken place across the state in the last year alone.

“The end of Roe was not the end of the work; it was the beginning of a new chapter,” Mrs. Dunn said.

Mrs. Dunn and Mr. Breeden said TRL’s 50th anniversary is not about just looking back. It’s about asking how a culture of life for the next generation can be strengthened; how will women, families, and children be supported beyond legislation; how can education, engagement, and presence be expanded statewide; and how will pro-life leaders be prepared for the next 50 years.

“The answers demand growth, innovation, and unity,” Mr. Breeden said. “This anniversary is a call to build, not to coast.”

Mrs. Dunn and Mr. Breeden have been leading efforts to grow and strengthen TRL chapters across the state as well as expand statewide education and communication; increase support to sustain long-term mission impact; develop new partnerships with churches, organizations, and leaders; invest in the next generation of pro-life advocates; and build systems that support life at every stage, from conception to natural death.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of the pro-life movement, and Tennessee Right to Life is celebrating our 50th year of being an organization. This has ignited some folks to get back involved, people who may have thought the battle is over after Roe v. Wade was overturned. They are now realizing it is not over, so they need to get re-engaged in this battle all across the state. And that is happening, praise be to God,” Mrs. Dunn said.

Candy Clepper, president of Greater Chattanooga Right to Life, TRL’s Hamilton County chapter, is confident Pro-Life Day on the Hill will influence state lawmakers to defend life.

“I thought Pro-Life Day on the Hill was a productive and effective event. Our elected officials need to hear from their pro-life constituents, and having an organized day for that makes a tremendous impact. I appreciated the changes event organizers made this year, allotting more time for visits with legislators,” Ms. Clepper said.

She is grateful for Tennessee Right to Life’s longevity but would like to think there won’t be a need for the organization 50 years from now.

“The work Tennessee Right to Life has done for the past 50 years has saved countless unborn babies and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion. I hope and pray another 50 years is not needed to make abortion not only illegal but unthinkable,” she said.