18 April 2007

Beginning of the END

A severe blow was dealt to all women in the United States today when the Supreme Court handed down a 5-to-4 ruling, upholding the so-called partial birth abortion ban.

I TOLD YOU SO!

For many years now, this has been one of my greatest fears. That the door would be opened to the anti-choice folks, who are no doubt popping Champagne corks as I type. Any restriction on a woman's right to choose is too much restriction. Any ban on any type of abortion procedure is egregious. It is a slippery slope, which will end in the termination of YOUR right to end any unwanted pregnancy.

I'm not sure if abortion is "right" or "wrong", but what I do know is that I don't want a bunch of old, white men deciding for me if I am allowed to make decisions about my body.

Damn, Sandra Day O'Connor, couldn't you have waited to retire? Damn, Chief Justice Rehnquist, why did you have to die? Those two events were the catalysts that allowed today's decision to happen. President Idiot, who unsurprisingly, praised today's decision, appointed two conservative justices to replace the two who left, and you could hear the religious and fanatical right drooling when he did.

Supreme Court Justices are dangerous people, because they, more than any branch of the government, can have an impact on our lives for a very long time. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for LIFE. So to get a Supreme Court vacancy, someone has to die or retire, and the two vacancies that occurred in 2005 are remarkable for their rarity. Justices can, theoretically, sit for 40 years or more. They are the nine people who review laws passed by Congress, they are the arbiters of what is, and what is not, Constitutional.

In today's decision, the majority opined that the complete lack of any exception whatsoever in the ban for the sake of the mother's health does not preclude a woman's Constitutional right to an abortion. I'd like to know just how the fuck they got to that decision. Because to my understanding, even if a woman's life is at stake, this procedure cannot be performed under any circumstances.

Take note, American Woman. That's how important you are to this administration. That's how much you matter. Your life has that much meaning.

Don't you feel precious?

4 comments:

John said...

Hi "Lucy",

Do I dare wade into this one with you? Our civil discussion on the other matters prompt me to take a shot at this one. Perhaps we can listen to each other again.

I am on the opposite side of the fence on this one. How can we justify the killing of an otherwise viable baby just because 7 months into the pregnancy it becomes "inconvenient" or "unwanted". The fact that partial birth abortion is self explanatory in its process, that is, the child is partially in the womb and out of the womb and then terminated is a heinous act. Certainly if there is medical necessity it should be available but otherwise it sounds like killing an innocent.

Look forward to your response.

John

Lucy Arin said...

Hi John-

I think we might have to agree to disagree on this one.

If you look at my header, this is one of my core issues...something I am both radical and completely unapologetic about.

My objection has lots less to do with the life/death questions of abortion (to which I do not know the answers) and much more to do with the fact that there is no call for government to be involved in what is, ultimately, a deeply private and personal decision for the woman. The bumper sticker wisdom of "Keep your laws off of my body"

Would YOU like Uncle Sam telling you when you could and could not have a medical procedure performed?

This is about controlling women, yet again. You hear about insurance companies refusing to provide birth control pills, but never Viagra. Just more disparity between the way men and women are treated.

I have a lifetime's worth of opinion on this issue...as I said, it might be better for us to agree to disagree.

I did wonder when I posted this if I'd see you pop up in my IP tracker. I'm glad you're here and interested.

With utmost respect
~Lucy

John said...

Lucy,

You're probably right, we will simply have to agree to disagree about this one. I am interested and glad for the opportunity to hear from someone who thinks differently than I. Thanks for being willing to engage.

On this issue my key is the child. I can accept the argument (grudgingly) that an un-viable fetus can be aborted, but partial birth abortion by any other name would be murder. This is a viable child.

You state,
"Would YOU like Uncle Sam telling you when you could and could not have a medical procedure performed?"

To which I reply, wouldn't you want Uncle Sam to protect you from someone seeking to take your life?

The comment on insurance and viagra vs. birth control is interesting on a lot of fronts. If true, I think it is desperately sad commentary on the condition of our society, and not just on the issue of women.

Respects right back at you! Thanks.

John

Lucy Arin said...

John-
I sent you an e-mail. My response got to be nearly novel-length, so I thought it best to move to another arena.

Anyone else who reads the comments just for the heck of it...

Insurance companies can and do refuse to cover birth control pills as part of prescription drug plans. How do I know that? It happened to me. Check Cover My Pills for more info.

~Lucy