The Memphis City Council approved a resolution Tuesday urging that law enforcement and the district attorney in Tennessee’s most populous county refrain from investigating and prosecuting doctors who perform abortions.
Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate and council member JB Smiley Jr. sponsored the resolution and proposed it at a committee meeting. Council members approved the resolution in a vote at the full council meeting later Tuesday.
The resolution is mostly symbolic — the council does not have authority over Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office — but it does shine light on how a large Southern city is addressing laws restricting abortion in Tennessee, particularly by appealing to prosecutors who have wide discretion over whom to charge with crimes. It also outlines Smiley’s opposition of GOP-supported abortion laws as part of his campaign to win the Democratic nomination in the race challenging Republican Gov. Bill Lee.