At least 23 states have pre-Roe v Wade abortion bans still on the books or have passed so-called trigger laws that would sharply limit access to the procedure if Roe were to be overturned.
Louisiana legislators attempted to classify abortion as a homicide, trying to go further than anti-abortion measures in other states by making it possible for prosecutors to bring criminal cases against women who end a pregnancy.
And just as Rep. Tom Malinowski predicted, Republicans are gearing up for a push to make it a national ban.
“Just take my state of North Dakota. Having a North Dakota child killed in the womb in Fargo versus Moorhead, Minnesota, you know, on the other side of the Red River — I don’t find a lot of solace in that just because it didn’t happen in my state,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “I think you could expect that pro-life activists would push for federal protections. I mean, I wouldn’t take that off the table.”
First let’s make this definitive statement: The draft ruling in favor of Mississippi’s attempt to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is wrong. Women should have the right and access to choose what they want to do with their bodies,
But of equal concern is the rolling back of precedents, such as the one established by Roe v Wade nearly 50 years ago.
This ruling is just a beginning for the GOP, a party that will attempt to use every lever it can to maintain power across the U.S. Look at the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court currently: this decision is being made by a conservative majority packed with three Trump appointed judges in which two (Neil M. Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett) were installed by Sen. Mitch McConnell in ways that rile Democrats to this day.
The Alito Draft will conceivably go down in history as the first step that Republicans made in rolling back equality gains for minorities and gay rights. We are fearful that this ruling will start court battles that continue to divide us as a nation, such as the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that guaranteed to same-sex couples the right to be married.
And for those of you reading who think the GOP will not impose their minority view of what should be law, we remind you that 60% of Americans polled support a woman’s right to choose. Only 8%—8%—believe that all abortions should be banned. And yet here we are again discussing if nearly half of the states in the U.S. will ban a woman’s right to choose.
What we wish for is pro-life supporters to fight as feverishly for a fetus after birth than before, including parental paid leave after the birth of a child, healthcare that includes access to affordable birth control, and expanded childcare at rates that do not make parents have to choose between staying home or resuming their career. Those are actual actions that truly put a child first.
From a legal standpoint, the forthcoming decision in the Mississippi case is ultimately about whose rights are most important, state’s rights or an individual’s, and how do we uphold them as a nation. To achieve their goals, the Republican majority on the Supreme Court plan to overturn a ruling reaffirmed as late as 1993 in Casey v Planned Parenthood. GOP lawmakers will praise a ruling made by something they have campaigned against in their stump speeches for years—activist judges.
Unfortunately, we see more of these fights to come that will further polarize our nation and make it harder to bring us together. The ruling will open the door for lawmakers to take more extreme positions instead of looking to forge policy that will benefit all Americans.
Abortion is NOT the taking of a life. It is instead a couple creating a life then changing their mind. It is instead a rape victim deciding against bearing the child of a soulless maniac and/or family member. It is instead saving the life of a woman which her pregnancy endangers. It is instead a safe alternative to the coat hangers of the 60s and 70s. And most definitely it is none of anyone else’s business!!
To all Republicans, repeat after me: None. Of. Your. Business! It’s a couple’s decision to create a life, so it’s also their decision to NOT create a life, which is NOT the same as murder! If you’re all so damn pro-life, why do you support guns, whose only purpose is death? Why do you oppose everything that helps kids once they’re born, such as gov’t programs like WIC and EBT? And how can you support Trump caging kids and tearing families apart?
And finally, how do you not get it that unplanned babies usually end up welfare recipients, homeless, drug users, criminals or some other burden on YOUR tax dollars? Aren’t you the ones who bytch and moan about half of use supporring the other half? The why don’t you APPLAUD people who decide they’re too poor or unstable to have a kid?
BECAUSE YOU’RE ALL MORONS!! You should not only have your kids taken, you shouldn’t raise or breed kids, or even vote. Ever. You should do only menial jobs 14x7x365, your wills should be nullified, you should donate blood and tissue regularly, plus all organs upon death, and until then you should also be guinea pigs for drug and medical experiments, bypassing 10 years of animal testing!
The child’s has the rights that count as that’s the v I ctim that will be murdered.
Once again the writer shows their Democratic roots and agenda and blames all of this on the GOP. I will concede some good points are made towards the end of the article about better and more affordable services after birth.
The author also makes an assumption that this IS the majority decision of the court. It IS NOT a decision but a draft and history has shown that many times these drafts never result in the decision going that way.
I am curious why none of the left leaning media or the US Justice department has no appetite for investigating who leaked the draft in the first place.
It smells like the Democrats last chance to try and save the almost certain loss of the house and senate in the upcoming mid term elections.
Repealing RvW wont cause more divisiveness. The law never should have been passed anyway. There is no constitutional right to pregnancy termination. Just like there is no constitutional guarantee of health care or health insurance or 100 other things that the current federal gov in wash DC illegally and immorally controls or regulates. So ANY of you at NJ .com know any civics at ALL? read the constitution. Tell me where it mentions pregnancy, abortion, healthcare, doctors anywhere? It doesnt. Abortion just isnt a federal issue at all. The reason its been such a divisive issue is PRECISELY because of RvW. By returning the decision to the states and local jurisdictions, the problem can be dealt with locally. So people in Missouri will have no reason to be angry at people in NJ. So what you are saying in your article is 180 degrees the opposite of the truth.
Remember the 18th amendment that banned alcohol. that was a cosmic mistake. It was REPEALED by the 21st amendment.
So RvW was a mistake and thankfully the court will likley overturn it.
Other things that should be overturned are the 17th amendment, the affordable care act, all of the federal vaccine mandates and as a long term goal the SIXTEENTH amendment. YES the 16th. hardly has there been a more destructive law ever passed in America
While we are at it we can eliminate the following federal cabinet agencies
the dept of agriculture
the dept of energy
the dept of commerce
the dept of labor
the dept of health and human services
…housing and urban development
…education ( especially this one FIRST)
…transportation
and last but not at all least … home land security.
these departments have grown to be giant corrupt, crony drains on the productive wealth of the united states and they need to all be eliminated.
Frank R., whoever leaked the draft decision is far less important than its content, which would disenfranchise every woman in our country (51% of our population) from control of her own being. Who are you, or anyone, to tell my wife (or me) what to do with our personal beings? If you don’t want an abortion if it is an option, simply don’t have one; but it is no one’s right to interfere with personal decisions unless they directly harm you. We don’t know you; unless we’re attacking you, we can’t harm you.
dirk, somehow I don’t think a majority of the country is willing to go back to the social mores of 1790. And most people think that, while imperfect, RvW was not a mistake. Nor are vaccinations against diseases which killed many thousands in history. Nor is education.
I fully expect the right wing to pile on to this comment; they are as predictable as the sunrise and always denigrate any commenter who disagrees with them. I really don’t care, nor do I need to respond. Being loudest or last to respond doesn’t make you correct. I respect the autonomy of all individuals, including women (of course). I just think it is important note that there are other opinions besides the views from the far right expressed above, so they are noted.
You really want to repeal the popular election of Senators? You’re really that afraid of democracy?
(Also, Roe v. Wade wasn’t a law. It was a Supreme Court decision.)
How come it’s my body my choice when you want to eliminate a human being but you want to force people to put poison in their body? It is not healthcare, they do not provide any coinciding for the mother afterward, who has a conscience, those that don’t have a conscience are the ones using this a birth control.
The more control you give the government the more power and control they have and less freedoms we have. Wake up and realize the only reason the government wants abortion and Obamacare is because they make big money on both.
What you do with your body is your choice but if you believe in God, you will face his judgement, that is your choice too.