SCOTUS Overturns Roe v Wade
W.J. Astore
So much for the idea of "settled law" and judicial precedent. The Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) has overturned Roe v Wade by a 6-3 majority vote. For nearly 50 years, abortion was legal in America if not always cheap or readily accessible. Now roughly half the states in America are poised to make it illegal, a major setback for women's rights and bodily autonomy.
Many things will be written about this decision, and in fact I've already written about it. But one thing is glaringly obvious: this is a thoroughly politicized court of justices, several of whom perjured themselves before the Senate during their confirmation hearings.
Oh sure, they all talked carefully, saying neither "yes" nor "no" when it came to Roe v Wade. But the new justices all made noises about respecting previous court decisions, like Roe v Wade, suggesting that they wouldn't reach a sweeping decision to overturn it. Of course, it was all BS, and many people knew it at the time. Speaking of "grooming," recent SCOTUS justices have been groomed for decades to ensure they are against abortion and for business and corporations.
We now have a thoroughly partisan and mean-spirited court majority that will always side with business and corporations against the individual and who apparently believe that guns have far more rights to privacy and autonomy than women do.
A 6-3 majority court that embraces and advances gun rights while denying privacy and bodily autonomy to women is truly an American court.
A small coda: Shame on the Democrats for not codifying Roe v Wade into law. Even when Obama had a super-majority and promised abortion rights would be his first priority, he waffled because he just didn't care. Now Democrats will cynically use this SCOTUS decision to raise funds. It's just my opinion, but they've proved by their gutless inaction that they deserve none of your money.
The clock is spinning backwards, America. Will it stop in the 1950s -- or the 1850s? And don't forget that the 1850s were both bloody and led directly into the U.S. Civil War (1861-65).
Another small coda: I hate the calculated cowardice of these decisions that are announced on Fridays as a way of trying to limit controversy and outrage, as people's attention is distracted by weekend plans. Dropping the bad news late on a Friday -- it's a tired approach by cowardly institutions.
One final saying: I think an anonymous female taxi driver had it right: If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.