MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After controversial remarks this year, State Representative John J. DeBerry Jr. will be the target of angry billboards in Shelby County.
It all started in March, when Representative DeBerry, a Democrat from Memphis, staunchly opposed abortion, saying he had waited 25 years to give his stance.
Now there’s a group in Memphis that is speaking out against his position.
The crowd of people that gathered outside of Planned Parenthood Thursday made their opinions on DeBerry and his anti-abortion comments very clear.
“I that that it is repulsive for a representative that is suppose to represent the will of the majority of his constituents to stand the way that Representative DeBerry stood,” Dr. Earle Fischer said.
It’s not just DeBerry’s anti-abortion stance that makes the group angry. It’s the perceived lack of awareness, so they’re putting up three billboards across the city of Memphis in an effort to better inform local voters about what their elected official is saying.
“This billboard gives his constituents the opportunity to let Representative DeBerry know that his positions are appalling and an embarrassment to Shelby County,” Francie Hunt, Executive Director for TN Advocate for Planned Parenthood, said.
The group says they take the most issue with what they feel is judgment in DeBerry’s remarks.
“We’re not an advocate of abortion, we’re an advocate of women’s rights. We need to make sure that people understand. If there is a consequence or a misdeed for abortion, it’s up to a higher power,” Norma Lester said.
Gov. Bill Lee has already signed a “trigger” bill that would ban abortions in Tennessee if the Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade. Later this summer, a state senate committee will study another bill banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
