Condemn the Cruelty of the Zealots
At the Planned Parenthood location in Los Angeles, California Governor Gavin Newsom strongly condemned the intention of the leaked Supreme Court draft document overturning Roe V. Wade. And he took it one step further:
“This Supreme Court is poised to roll back constitutionally protected rights,” he said. “And don’t think for a second this is where they stop.”
For years anti-abortion activists have accused those who have drawn the larger conclusions from a Roe v. Wade repeal as being overwrought. Yet here we are, with the decision not even formally adopted yet, and the rush toward cruelty is in full swing.
It starts with the Republican polling being shared with candidates:
“Thinking about the 2022 election for Congress, please tell me which of the following candidates you would be more likely to vote for. A Republican candidate who supports banning abortions after 15 weeks with exceptions for the life and physical health of the mother or severe fatal abnormality of the baby. A Democrat candidate who supports unlimited abortion up until the moment of birth.”
The wording of the question, namely the reference to “unlimited abortion up until the moment of birth,” indicates that the right wing party is preparing a disinformation-laden campaign to paint Democrats as the unreasonable ones.
This is the “when did you stop beating your wife” question for 2022. It will get used in mailers and targeted ads where any truthful response is unlikely to be heard.
The answer to this question and any other excuses Republicans can come up with is simple: The GOP supports taking the right to do what’s best for their families away from 100 million Americans. Majorities of Americans in both parties support the right to an abortion.
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Meanwhile, the cruelty campaigns are cranking up. Most Republicans aren’t going to publicly admit that they’re being cruel; that’s because a lack of empathy is a defining characteristic of today’s GOP. They’ll have excuses, either via enforcing their brand of religion on the country or suggesting that the free market can do the job.
Anti-choice activists and their allies in Congress are already plotting to push for a strict nationwide ban on the procedure if Republicans retake power in Washington. As we’ve seen with other issues, like the investigation into the January 6 insurrection, so-called moderate Republicans fold quickly once the extremists in their party state their case.
From the Washington Post:
A group of Republican senators has discussed at multiple meetings the possibility of banning abortion at around six weeks, said Sen. James Lankford (Okla.), who was in attendance and said he would support the legislation. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will introduce the legislation in the Senate, according to an antiabortion advocate with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. Ernst did not respond to a request for comment.
One top advocate, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion group Susan B. Anthony List, has spoken privately with 10 possible Republican presidential contenders, including former president Donald Trump, to talk through national antiabortion strategy. Most of them, she said in an interview, assured her they would be supportive of a national ban and would be eager to make that policy a centerpiece of a presidential campaign.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is taking this meanness in another direction. He’s proposing to challenge the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring states to offer free public education to all children, including those of undocumented immigrants.
The Louisiana legislature is poised to take up HB 813, which passed out of committee with 7-2 support. A fertilized egg would be defined as a human. Abortion at any point will be deemed as a homicide, with no exception for minors, rape, incest, or ectopic pregnancies.
“We can't wait on the Supreme Court,” said the bill’s author, despite the fact that the wait for the Supreme Court is likely to be a matter of weeks.
Oklahoma’s legislature decided they couldn’t wait, either. They just passed a Texas-style ban that will take effect immediately after Governor Kevin Stitt signs it. Stitt signed another bill earlier this year that would make abortion illegal in nearly all circumstances, but that law would not take effect until August.
Not long ago, all three Republicans running for Michigan attorney general said that Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 Supreme Court opinion striking down bans on contraceptives for married people, was wrongly decided.
I could go on, but I hope you get the point. Overturning Roe v Wade, despite the fact most Americans didn’t see the point of doing so, became a Republican priority because it energized more extremist activists. Those are the same activists now talking about same sex marriage, interracial marriage, birth control, and federal discrimination laws. It’s only a matter of time, unless the means for them to achieve power is defeated at the polls.
Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com