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| Re: It's true by Reichsminister Doktor Goebbels 02/24/2006, 11:18pm PST | ||||
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motherfuckerfoodeater wrote: Whether pro-life advocates would actually stand behind their talk isn't relevant to whether it's democratic or not. From early in the 20th Century until the late 1960s conducting abortions was a crime in all 50 states. When Roe was handed down, abortion was legal on demand in 4 states and available with various qualifications in 13 others, while it was still highly restricted in the remaining states. This regime was a product of voter choice, mostly through state legislature elections, but also through a handful of referenda. Then nine men chosen at the whim of president, including one appointed during the FDR administration, stepped in and decided the people weren't entitled to make the decision. The South Dakota law isn't even presented as a legitimately enforceable precept. The governor has more or less stated "I'm pro-life so I'll sign it, since I know it will never take effect and the only consequence is a boost from my pro-life constituency" and the state legislators are lost in loon-june-moon haze saying things like "the stars are aligned"* and "South Dakotans care...we care about babies."** The courts will enjoin the state from enforcing the law before the ink has dried on it; it's an undue burden on the woman's access to abortion within the meaning of Casey. The law's key supporters and sponsors are not even expecting it to have a chance at the US Supreme Court, they're only doing it to see if the high court will hear it, which might give some hints on what the new justices would allow them to get away with in a future law restricting abortion, or if the Court will just summarily tell them to fuck off. One other note, Dakotans seem to be a pretty pure people. Only 800 abortions were performed last year at the state's single clinic. If nothing else, these people lead by example. * Actual quote from House Speaker Matthew Michels ** Actual quote from somebody whose name I can't find |
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