Letting it all sink in.
Rebecca Traister over at Salon does what she does best and breaks down what the hell happened with the Alito confirmation.
She leaves us with...
Roe will probably not be overturned, but in the coming decades it will get chipped away until it is almost unrecognizable, until abortions are legal only for privileged women with notes from parents and spouses in the first four weeks of gestation. It's worth remembering as we go back and forth on the technicalities about trimesters and spousal and parental notifications, and about how big a plank in the platform of either party abortion should be, that this fight is far from trivial or technical. What we're on the verge of losing is the legal acknowledgment that women are human beings capable of making decisions about their own bodies. What we could be losing is our equality under the law.
*sigh*
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Pro-Life advocates are rejoicing because Samuel Alito has taken his seat on the Supreme Court. LifeNews.com says SCOTUS still “favors abortion by a razor-thin 5-4 margin and appears to be ready to uphold the national partial-birth abortion ban.” They foresee President Bush making at least one more Pro-Life appointment to the Supreme Court. Then there would be a 5-4 margin potentially in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade.
But if Roe was overturned, would that make abortion illegal? NARAL and the rest of the NAG’s say that decision would return us to the days of “back-alley abortions with rusty coat-hangers.” Overturning Roe would do no such thing.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul (L) correctly points out, “Roe was wrongly decided because abortion simply is not a constitutional issue. There is not a word in the text of that document, nor in any of its amendments, that conceivably addresses abortion.” That’s why Roe should be overturned.
Overturning Roe does not automatically make abortion illegal throughout the United States. It would return the control over the issue to the state legislatures where it belongs. South Carolina would be free to pass a law outlawing all abortions throughout the state. New York and California would be free to pass laws enshrining the right to abortion like NARAL wants. Other states could pass laws placing strict limits on abortion procedures. Abortion would not suddenly become illegal in the entire country.
Let’s face it folks, abortion is not a federal issue. It’s a state issue. It’s time to overturn Roe and let the people decide whether abortion is murder or not.
I love how the Freepi start yelling about state's rights when it suits them on a particular issue, but the second Federalism benefits them they're all for a strong centralized government. For example: the drug war, there aren't many Freepi out there demanding that this issue be handled by the states.
In any case, overturning Roe would be a huge step backwards for the rights of more than 50% of this nation's population, it's a horrible, stupid idea and it should not be allowed to happen.
I'm still in shock. In response to Jason, its not that everyone thinks overturning Roe will make abortion automatically illegal, its the scary fact that we run that risk.
Would it surprise you to learn that I'm also in favor of legalizing marijuana? I'm a Libertarian and support the Marijuana Policy Project. And before you go screaming that Libertarians should support abortion rights, go to this web site.
As a self-proclaimed quasi-libertarian, I must interject. The unofficial creed among libertarians "be free to do whatever you want so long as it doesn’t harm others" offers no new insight or philosophical value to the abortion debate. It only leads us to an argument of interpretation regarding the meaning of "others". I simply wanted to let everyone know that there are many people, like myself, who identify with libertarian ideas and are yet staunch supporters of a womans right to choose. Peace.
In response to Jason's statement: "let the people decide whether abortion is murder or not."
Do you really believe this is what the abortion issue comes down to?
Capital punishment is about murder. The issue of womens' reproductive rights is about control.
Please don't try to cloak your position as "Libertarianism."
Yes, I do believe abortion is murder. I'm sure there are a lot of people who agree with me.
Denying a baby the right to be born is the ultimate denial of his liberty.
his liberty.
just had to read that one again. it was cute...
I love how the Freepi start yelling about state's rights when it suits them on a particular issue, but the second Federalism benefits them they're all for a strong centralized government.free online games