Nashville, TN (LifeNews.com) -- The leading lawmaker behind an effort to amend the Tennessee Constitution to make it abortion neutral is pushing for a vote on the House floor. A House committee previously killed the amendment legislation and Rep. Delores Gresham is hoping to get enough votes to bring it to the full House for consideration.

The amendment would nullify a state Supreme Court decision misusing the privacy clause in it to create an unlimited right to abortion.

The Senate had already approved the measure but the resolution appeared dead for the session after the House Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee defeated SJR-0127 on a 6-3 vote as the Democratic-controlled panel has done before.

Gresham needs to get 66 votes to bring the bill out of committee and place it on the House floor for a debate and vote.

The Tennessee amendment process requires the state legislature to approve a possible amendment by a two-thirds vote in two consecutive legislative sessions. Pro-life advocates hope a successful vote can take place now so a second one can be lined up for the 2009 session and go before voters in 2010.

A vote to move the bill to the floor would follow a new poll showing most state residents either want all abortions illegal or want abortions limited to very few circumstances.

The latest Middle Tennessee State University poll finds almost 77 percent of state residents want more limits on abortions or abortions prohibited -- which the amendment would allow.

In 2006, the full Senate signed off on the idea on a 24-9 vote but the same House subcommittee killed the measure.

The proposal says "nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion."

In 2000, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled 4-1 that the Tennessee Constitution contains a fundamental abortion right even broader than Roe v. Wade or the federal constitution. The decision struck down numerous pro-life Tennessee laws that were helping women and limiting abortions.

The measure would essentially nullify the decision and allow the state to enact limits on abortion or ban abortions if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned.

In 2003, 14,933 abortions were reported performed on women residing in Tennessee. In 2004, the number dropped to 13,902, a 6.9% decline or 1,031 fewer abortions.

Related web sites:
Tennessee Right to Life - http://tennesseerighttolife.org