NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — "We are not abortion police." That's what the Metro Nashville Police Department had to say when NewsChannel 5 asked the department if abortion investigations are a priority.
A Metro Council resolution filed by Delishia Porterfield, Councilmember for District 29, asks the police department to make abortion investigations a low priority.
"The police should be prioritizing violent crime. They should be prioritizing issues that are impacting the community," Porterfield said.
Metro Police responded to NewsChannel 5's question on how they'll enforce the abortion ban in Nashville with this statement.
"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. There are other entities in government, particularly at the state level, that are more equipped to address issues such as this. "
Additionally, Councilmember Porterfield's resolution asks the city's housing authority and HR office to protect Nashville women not punish them.
"If someone chooses to explore all of their options with regards to their reproductive health, we want to make sure they're not being discriminated against when it comes to housing, which is why I asked MDHA to come up with a rule to ensure there wouldn't be housing discrimination. Also employment for our city, if someone is choosing to work for our city, we don't want them to be discriminated against based upon a current or previous decision regarding their reproductive health," she said.
Specifically, Porterfield's resolution asks Metro HR and MDHA to develop ordinances that prohibit employment and housing discrimination on the basis of reproductive health decisions.
Lastly, the resolution calls on Metro government to work as a whole to ensure women's health clinics are safe place for Nashville women.
"If someone is calling in noise complaints, if people are going there trying to harass individuals who are going to Planned Parenthood or safe spaces to explore their options, we want to make sure they're not getting harassed by people," she said.
More than half of Metro Council supports the resolution.
