NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — For decades, only three people knew Gloria Johnson had had an abortion.
But a year of watching women and doctors agonize under Tennessee’s strict abortion ban kicked up a fire in the longtime Democrat. She watched in dismay as her Republican colleagues in the General Assembly dismissed concerns that the law was harming women. Many GOP lawmakers argued that only on rare occasions was an abortion needed to save a life.
So without telling her legislative staff or family in advance, the then-60-year-old state representative stood before a Republican-controlled House panel in March 2023 and testified about the abortion she had at age 21. She made the decision to have an abortion, she said, as a newly married college student after being diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm. That would likely have killed her if she did nothing, but might have harmed the baby if Johnson got the treatment she needed to save her own life.
US not a sincere mediator in Israeli
Man City vs Man United FA Cup final time confirmed
Police clear out a migrant camp in central Paris. Activists say it's a pre
Food influencer lifts the lid on little
Promotion of intangible cultural heritage to enhance tourism
Global plastic treaty: Negotiations hit critical stage in Canada
Beyoncé wows her fans while offering a rare glimpse at her stunning natural hair
Review of UNWRA finds Israel did not express concern about staff
Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti showcases her jaw
Star guard Kadary Richmond transfers to St. John's from Big East rival Seton Hall
Colleges seek to balance safety and students' right to protest Gaza war