Abortion Rights
It appears that the GOP is trying to push through forms of anti-abortion legislation by sneaking it onto bills. A recent example is an attempt that would permit hospitals to deny women counseling on abortion. This got me to thinking three things.
1. If it is OK to permit hospitals to deny women such counseling, shouldn't that position be approved through public discourse, rather than sneaking it in on a bill? Doesn't it speak volumes about the will of the American people that the GOP feels it cannot make its case based on merit?
2. How many other things is the GOP pushing on us that are going unnoticed?
And then there is political future:
3. What would happen if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade?
I would think that the backlash would be deafening. I think that at some point, we are going to hit a critical mass of people who knew people who came home in body bags from Iraq such that those who supported the war are going to be revisiting their position in a very serious way. In a similar way, I think that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, we would hit a critical mass of people who knew women who went through some form of hell because abortion were not an option.
More to the point, I don't think the GOP can afford that to happen if it wants to remain politically viable. I think that there is a very good chance that two things would happen. First, a lot of people who have been spending their time fighting Roe v. Wade would have a lot of time on their hands and get complacent. Name a form of competition where that does not happen. Second, a lot of people who have enjoyed the rights afforded by Roe v. Wade will get really pissed and politically active.
To quote a song from the musical, "Tick Tick BOOM", "Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?" Hopefully, it won't take a catastrophe. Hopefully, the GOP will see that it needs Roe v. Wade in place to remain in power. Hopefully, the Democrats will get their sorry act together and fight like hell to keep Roe v. Wade in place. Hopefully.
1. If it is OK to permit hospitals to deny women such counseling, shouldn't that position be approved through public discourse, rather than sneaking it in on a bill? Doesn't it speak volumes about the will of the American people that the GOP feels it cannot make its case based on merit?
2. How many other things is the GOP pushing on us that are going unnoticed?
And then there is political future:
3. What would happen if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade?
I would think that the backlash would be deafening. I think that at some point, we are going to hit a critical mass of people who knew people who came home in body bags from Iraq such that those who supported the war are going to be revisiting their position in a very serious way. In a similar way, I think that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, we would hit a critical mass of people who knew women who went through some form of hell because abortion were not an option.
More to the point, I don't think the GOP can afford that to happen if it wants to remain politically viable. I think that there is a very good chance that two things would happen. First, a lot of people who have been spending their time fighting Roe v. Wade would have a lot of time on their hands and get complacent. Name a form of competition where that does not happen. Second, a lot of people who have enjoyed the rights afforded by Roe v. Wade will get really pissed and politically active.
To quote a song from the musical, "Tick Tick BOOM", "Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?" Hopefully, it won't take a catastrophe. Hopefully, the GOP will see that it needs Roe v. Wade in place to remain in power. Hopefully, the Democrats will get their sorry act together and fight like hell to keep Roe v. Wade in place. Hopefully.
posted by Josh Paley at 11:11 PM
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