Blog

I am disappointed, but not surprised, at how many totally false claims have arisen from the Progressive Left (PL) since the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overturned the Roe V. Wade (Roe) decision of 1973. It was expected that the most militant faction of the women’s movement would be protesting what they call the end of abortion, and the loss of women’s rights that they warn the decision would inevitably bring. It will ultimately lead, they scream, to the end of gay marriage and mixed marriage. It will lead to an increase, they warn, in the deaths to women forced to go alley to alley with coat hanger in hand looking for a seedy doctor who would provide an abortion. It will, they promise, lead to the very end of our democracy! Our dementia addled President said, “Today, the SCOTUS expressly took away a Constitutional right from the American people . . . ” All of these claims are nonsense, and patently false. They are nothing more than the typical fearmongering hyperbole the PL uses regularly.

In its 1973 Roe ruling the SCOTUS laid out a set of guidelines. Those guidelines said that in the first trimester the decision to abort a child was a medical decision left to the woman and her physician. There would be no state interference. In the second trimester abortions could be performed if the health of the mother was in question. In the third trimester, after the fetus was considered viable, the state could regulate or forbid abortion unless the health and life of the mother was at risk. As you can see the ruling limited abortion on demand to the first trimester. After that, abortions could be performed only to protect the health or life of the woman/mother. In 1992 the SCOTUS affirmed the right to abortion, but changed some of the restrictions of Roe in it’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. That ruling put a greater onus on the viability of the baby when deciding if an abortion may be performed. As you know, medical technology has changed our ability to more accurately determine when a baby is viable in the womb. Thanks to that technology, premature babies born as early as 21 weeks are viable today.

In overturning Roe, the Court actually did exactly what it was created to do in the Constitution. That is to rule on the legality of legislation, or other governmental edicts, placed on the citizenry. In that there was no existing law, nor a ‘right’ to abortion stated in the Constitution, the POTUS’ ruling in Roe resulted in the Court actually creating law. There is zero support in the Constitution for it to do so. The Constitution is clear that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states, or the people. This decision did NOT signal the beginning of the end of our democracy. (We do not live in a democracy. Our form of government is a Constitutional Republic). Those who say they care about democracy should be thrilled by this ruling. No longer will the fate of millions of pregnant women, and a like number of unborn babies, be left in the hands of nine unelected, unaccountable, Justices. If anything, by sending the abortion question back to the states it reaffirms the importance of the right of the people to make decisions for themselves.

Everyone needs to take a deep breath, and a few minutes, to review what has changed. It is quite simple what the SCOTUS’ ruling to overturn Roe actually did. The ruling was an admission by the Court that it had no authority to decide this issue. The ruling merely stated that this decision was the responsibility of the people of each individual state. That is a good thing as nearly every American has more influence with those in their state government than with those in the federal government. It is clear that there will be a patchwork of laws in America as a result of this ruling. Liberal states have said they will not ban abortions. Conservative states are producing laws that range from very, to less, restrictive. If you believe in our Constitution, that is how it should be.

While predictable, it is still shameful how so many of the PLs have reacted since, even before, the ruling was made public. They’ve acted like spoiled children who throw tantrums after having their favorite toy taken away. They have threatened justices and their families. The picketing of their private residences is unconscionable, even illegal. One group has even put out a ‘bounty’ to be paid to anyone who reports the presence of Justices when they enter the public square. Dozens of pro life organizations and churches have been set on fire, or vandalized, by pro abortion activists since the Roe ruling was made public. Perhaps it is in their zeal to save our democracy that the activists have threatened employees and volunteers of these organizations. Maybe it is the love of our democracy that leads them to besmirch the Justices of the Supreme Court. There has been 9 Justices on our Supreme Court since shortly after the Civil War. It seems that as long as the Court’s rulings agree with their ideology, the PL doesn’t see a need to make any changes. Once it became clear the SCOTUS was no longer interested in writing laws to protect them, the spoiled brats immediately started whining that we should add 4 additional PL Justices. Then, in their eyes, all would be right with the world.

After the 1992 Casey ruling, the Clintons coined the phrase that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare. Fifty years after Roe, abortions are safe, they are STILL legal, but after some 60 million babies have been aborted, it can hardly be said they are rare.

At times like these, instead of fanning the flames of discord, a real leader would be demanding that pro choice activists stop with the threats, intimidation, and violence. He would ask his Attorney General to investigate what measures could be taken to put an end to the illegalities. He might suggest that FBI agents be pulled away from surveilling parents at school board meetings and put them on the trail of those who are visibly breaking the law. He would encourage the activists to protest peacefully, and legally. He should tell them the truth about what the Roe ruling really means. He could suggest they get busy doing the work needed to get the laws they want passed in the states. Sadly, our President is not a leader. He is a hollow shell sitting in a leadership position. It would seem we are going to be forced to let this kerfuffle play itself out. I pray nobody gets seriously hurt, or worse, until things settle down.

I hope you found this post informative and/or interesting. If you did please tell your friends. Thank you for taking the time to read my writing, Bob