MNPD Suggests It Won't Investigate Felony Abortion Crimes as City Council Passes Supporting Resolution

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) suggested in a recent interview that it won’t investigate abortion crimes.

“We are not abortion police. We are focused on safety and quality of life in our city through community engagement, precision policing, and organizational excellence,” Don Aaron, an MNPD spokesperson, reportedly said. “There are other entities in government, particularly at the state level, that are more equipped to address issues such as this.”

Tennessee’s abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy took effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law makes it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, and the penalty is up to 15 years in prison.

One Nashville City Councilmember has been particularly outspoken against MNPD enforcing the abortion law.

“The police should be prioritizing violent crime. They should be prioritizing issues that are impacting the community,” Councilmember Dilishia Porterfield said.

Porterfield introduced a resolution asking MNPD to list abortion investigations as a low priority.

More than half of the city council supported the resolution.

Nashville is not the only city where Democrat leaders are vowing to ignore state abortion laws.

Recently in Arizona, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, along with her city council, also implemented a resolution in June directing police not to enforce abortion laws.

“Tonight, we have taken bold action to ensure that no Tucsonan is criminalized for exercising their reproductive freedoms and right to make personal health decisions without government interference,” she said on Twitter.

Tonight, we have taken bold action to ensure that no Tucsonan is criminalized for exercising their reproductive freedoms and right to make personal health decisions without government interference. pic.twitter.com/Dsgv4VAZYi

— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) June 8, 2022

“I am not going to sit and wait as our constitutional rights are stripped away,” Romero said. “In the absence of Congressional action to enshrine Roe v. Wade into federal law, it is up to local governments to stand up to protect bodily autonomy and the rights of pregnant persons from repressive state laws.”

State lawmakers there told The Star News Network that the resolution was “meaningless.”

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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Councilmember Dilishia Porterfield” by Dilishia Porterfield and “Metro Nashville Police on Broadway” by Metro Nashville Police Department.