On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case is about whether states (in this case, Mississippi) have the right to impose draconian restrictions on abortion and abortion access. Mississippi currently bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and the state tried to push a six-week ban on abortions, which has been put on hold by the lower courts. The crux of the case is absolutely about whether Roe v. Wade is upheld. And given the contentious and revealing SCOTUS oral arguments, it looks like this Supreme Court will overturn Roe.
The Supreme Court seemed poised on Wednesday to uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, in what would be a momentous and polarizing decision to roll back the abortion rights the court has defined over the last half century.
During sometimes tense and heated questioning in almost two hours of oral arguments, the court’s six conservative justices signaled they are comfortable with the Mississippi law, even though upholding it would be flatly at odds with Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion and prohibited states from banning the procedure before fetal viability, currently around 23 weeks.
Moving that line to 15 weeks would discard decades of precedent. Several of the conservative justices appeared ready to go further and overrule Roe entirely, letting states decide whether and when to ban abortions — an outcome that would transform regulation of abortion in 20 or more states that have been seeking to impose more restrictions and that would further inflame the long-running political and cultural divisions over the issue.
“You’re arguing that the Constitution is silent and, therefore, neutral on the question of abortion?” Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh asked a lawyer for Mississippi, with seeming approval. “In other words, that the Constitution is neither pro-life nor pro-choice on the question of abortion but leaves the issue for the people of the states or perhaps Congress to resolve in the democratic process?”
The court’s three liberal members said that overruling Roe soon after a change in the court’s membership would damage the court’s legitimacy. Indeed, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, doing so would pose an existential threat to the court.
“Will this institution survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the Constitution and its reading are just political acts?” she asked. “If people actually believe that it’s all political, how will we survive? How will the court survive?”
As I said when we discussed Texas’s attempts to create the perfect anti-abortion law to send as a test case to the Supreme Court, I’ve known for years now that Roe will be overturned in my lifetime. Roe was overturned on November 9, 2016, when Donald Trump “won” the election. Roe was overturned when Trump put three justices on the Supreme Court. Roe was overturned when Mitch McConnell refused to allow the Senate to vote on Merrick Garland as Antonin Scalia’s replacement. At a technical level, the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization won’t be released until next June. So in June, we’ll find out if Roe has been overturned (it has been).
As for what Justice Sotomayor said… bless her. I understand what she was doing by trying to talk political realities to the political hacks on the court, but none of those a–holes care. Chief Justice Roberts also has a long history of dismantling legal protections and leaving a mess for Congress to clean up. I could absolutely see Roberts doing the same thing here, arguing that it’s not up the Court to decide the specifics of abortion laws, it’s up to Congress and the states. Meanwhile, the newest member of the Court, Amy Coney Barrett, told American women that instead of abortions, they should just be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term and give the kids up for adoption. After all, forced pregnancies are basically the same as vaccine mandates!
Justice Barrett casually saying there's nothing wrong with forcing women to give birth and then just give up their kids. Easy!
— Stephanie Russell-Kraft (@srussellkraft) December 1, 2021
Barrett suggesting abortion isn’t necessary because women can just gestate and birth a child and then give it up—a horrific trauma in itself, regardless of the physical demands and dangers of pregnancy and birth.
— Moira Donegan (@MoiraDonegan) December 1, 2021
Here is Justice Barrett comparing the harm to bodily autonomy that comes with a state requirement to bring one's fetus to term to…having to get a vaccine pic.twitter.com/79BnFKlh4n
— Steven Mazie (@stevenmazie) December 1, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
My wife and I are looking into countries to immigrate to because if Roe V Wade is overturned then I am fairly certain gay marriage will be as well and it’ll go back to the states. This country has never been great and everyone talks about ‘freedom’ but this country is a shit hole. Amy Coney Barrett basically saying it’s so easy to just keep the pregnancy and give birth almost gave me an aneurysm. There is nothing pro-life about these jokers. They don’t actually care about anything other than controlling women. It makes me sick.
And not to be too doom and gloom on this Thursday morning but I have zero doubt in my mind that many MANY men in this country (and in our Congress) long for something like the Handmaids Tale to come true. It is terrifying.
Yep. Yep, yep and yep. Their lives have no meaning unless it’s to dictate how others live, which is to say, live to ‘their’ standards. This country sucks.
100% to everything you said.
Not to add fuel to the fire, but yes, my first reaction was “we are fucking DOOMED.” I am deeply worried, honestly.
Same. I was following along on twitter yesterday while I worked and I finally had to put my phone down and turn on some music. We are fucked.
Agree with every comment above 1000%. I see it in my own extended family. 🙁
The right wingers on the court know this issue keeps the base voting. Out right overturning Roe would be a disaster for Republicans in 2022. I think they will cripple the law to the greatest extend possible, but not kill it altogether.
Mac, this is what I’ve been saying. The right wing base is so single-issue focused. Overturning RvW would take away their “carrot”.
I totally understand the feeling of doom. But my initial reaction is RAGE. I have known this was coming for a while and yet now that it is actually upon us and things continue to get worse all the time ESPECIALLY for anyone who isn’t a white male, I just feel so angry and ready to fight. I’ve been doing it for a while (donating to causes at the federal, state and local levels and championing causes where I feel I can have impact) but for god sake I wish the democrats would be STRATEGIC and COORDINATED and deal with the destruction of our democracy!!
Side note: I feel that Jason Kander has done the best job of articulating how we can get a message across to typical Republican voters that Democratic policies are better for the country, and Stacy Abrams is a f’ing STAR but we’ve got to rise up and get some momentum to get the country back in track. Stacy can’t do it alone.
I’m sick of states like Mississippi dragging this country back instead of moving it forward. I’m sick of a state with less then a million people getting two senators and Calif with 40 million people getting only two senators. Sick of Congress setting a limit on the amount of representatives in the house and again states like calif screwed over per capita. Sick of democrats winning the popular vote and losing the electoral college (2000 and 2016). Ready to make our own damn progressive country with the world’s 5th largest economy. Washington and Oregon can come along. NY and New England can do the same. Every state that is going to overturn Roe vs Wade can go it alone and stop taking blue state money.
“Roe wasn’t the beginning of women having abortions. Roe was the end of women dying of abortions.” Truth.
I think the way things are going, our democracy is just going to break down. Maybe not next year, maybe not in five years, but in ten years I wouldn’t be surprised.
We have a political system that already doesn’t proportionately represent constituents in the senate, but with gerrymandering we also end up with disproportion in the Housey. With that, and the apparent ease with which members of congress now openly question, and a former president actively sought to change, the results of a presidential election outcome, with no consequence in sight, our system just continues to erode.
The political gridlock that happened for legislation like the infrastructure bill and build back better, each of which were immensely popular, by republican politicians, who then ran to the media to brag about how great this legislation would be for their constituents once it passed (I’m sure the same will happen with BBB) only brings home the point that these people don’t represent us until they have no choice.
I’ve followed Kavanaugh’s career since I was in law school in the 2000’s, working for the SEC on cases. I knew how this was going to end up as soon as he got on the bench simply because he is consistent in his judicial beliefs. I also think our society needs stability, and we don’t have it consistently with the congressional or the executive branches. All that is really left is the judicial, and if the Supreme Court, in 2020, starts backtracking on 4 decades of law on some thin premise around why stare decisis doesn’t mean what we all though it did for 100 years, and doing so when a majority of the population disagrees with the practical reality of the ruling, I think it ends up just being the canary in the coal mine.
The States is headed for a Hungary-style autocracy and the General Election will be….horrifying.
once the US falls, the world will be especially unsafe for women, POC, religious minorities & LGTBQIA
Government forced pregnancy is ok by them but a mask mandate is an assault on freedom.
Barrett thinks it’s ok for the government to decide that a woman has to take on the physical, financial, and emotional risks of carrying a pregnancy to term whether she wants to or not, even though there is a safe alternative.
The right is in no way, shape, or form “pro-life.” They are just about control.
AGREED 100%
You’re not wrong. Women in particular are always supposed to mistrust, second-guess, and hide away those types of fears, but nothing that’s happened over the past several years has proven that there’s no reason to have those concerns. This is the reality of the sort of things women and people in the LGBT community have to worry about. The past few years and the extra ( emphasis on extra, bc we all knew it was there before Trump) loud racism that came with them have only added to those worries. There’s always someone who wants to undo progress and drag people back to a more cruel time. And yeah, they try to make all their ‘virtues & values’ sound like it’s all about humility and altruism. But that’s just a way to demonize marginalized people for criticizing and failing to meet those standards. It’s not pro-life, it’s all about control.
@Erica Look into Canada. I am an American living in Canada for nearly 10 years. Zero plans to return. It just keeps getting worse.
Canada has lots of issues; certainly my province does, suffering as we are under the “leadership” of toxic wannabe-Republican psychopaths. Even so, I will be forever grateful that my great-grandparents chose to cross the border and stay here. I weep for every woman who will suffer and/or die (and many will) if Roe v Wade is struck down, and for the children who will be discarded by these so-called “Christians” as soon as they exit the womb.
I don’t understand why America has to stay together at this point. I live in a progressive blue state with a booming economy but have to deal with the backwards views of some uneducated evangelical in the south that I have nothing in common with besides a shared language. I’m sick of it.
YEP to everything you said Erica. It’s extremely terrifying. It makes me sick to my stomach.
I have daughters of VOTING and childbearing age. I have told them it’s time to protest. Do a hands across America for women’s rights, Million Women March, protest at government offices. Make the politicians realize if they take our rights they lose our votes! Let them realize what the real cost to them will be. Be sure to let men know that these children will be placed with fathers that weren’t expecting to raise children, left at hospitals, fire stations, government offices. Who is paying to cloth and feed these unwanted children? Local governments will be seeking more donations from companies to help with these costs. Less donations to politicians! Make it hurt the politicians where it really affects them- their POCKETS!
we.shall.overcome. enough of these shrivelled white men dictating our lives.
My heart fell into my stomach reading this – I’m Canadian and watching this horror unfold is just terrifying. If this does happen, I hope people take to the streets in record numbers, I know there will be solidarity protests at the US embassy here in Ottawa, and I’ll be there.
I’ll be right there with you OGLala! I’m originally from Pennsylvania and it’s devastating to watch my country devolve while feeling grateful I’m here but can’t do much to help others stuck there. Perhaps we should carry CB signs too so we can spot each other.
We need a CB t shirt for sure.
@ Originallala : I’m Canadian too and I remember the ‘70’s/ 80’s when people from Ontario went to NY state for no questions asked abortions. I wonder if it will reverse now.
It might in some places. If it is left to the individual states, NYS will continue to permit legal abortions (the right is clearly protected under state law), but many other states will not. Women who can afford to fly to Toronto or Montréal from places like Texas and Georgia can also afford fly to New York City. You might have some women driving over the border into Ontario from Michigan or Ohio.
No. No. No.
This is terrifying. White women don’t care about anything but their assumed place next to white men in society. Now we pay for their arrogance, selfishness and racism.
Terrifying.
Can you stop? I’m a White woman. This is fricking horrifying. I have never voted for a Republican, ever, in my life. I think I’ve missed one election in the last 12 years (and that was because I moved and didn’t know the rules of the new state). I do not understand why so many women are so stupid but it’s appalling.
No we can’t stop. I’m a white woman and fully acknowledge white women enabled this. And we are complicit in the patriarchy and white supremacy. One only needs to look at the voting patterns of white women. I individually didn’t do this and you individually didn’t do this. But that’s not how systems of oppression work. This isn’t about your feelings and what you individually did or didn’t do. It’s like not all men nonsense when discussing sexual assault. Sure maybe not all men individually but yes men collectively. It’s 2021. Do better. This is a whiney and selfish talking point we absolutely do not have time for. It’s not about your feelings.
I’m replying to all of the white women who are yelling “Not me! Stop!” You are yelling at the wrong person. And you’re basically in the ilk of “Not all me.” White women like you ARE the ones who ACTIVELY caused all this to happen. Period.
If this happens ALL women are screwed. Some more than others.
“Not all white women!” is just”All Lives Matter” in a pink bow. If that’s your knee jerk reaction, pick up a book. I suggest Hood Feminism as a starting point.
YES @KATHERINE! #BRAVO
Nicely said Katherine👏
Trump wouldn’t have been elected without white women, and he wouldn’t still be a threat without white women. As a white (well, Jewish, but of European ancestry so white by American political dynamics) woman, I fully acknowledge that we’re the assholes who need to fix this problem. White men are worse than us, sure, but they’re a demographic minority who are propped up by our votes, so we need to reflect on our own role in this nightmare.
That said, as I just ranted below, they can overturn R v W but they can’t turn the clock back to 1973. We as women can change the narrative. Even a teen girl in awful circumstances denied an abortion cannot be shamed if we don’t allow shaming.
I’m white, so let’s stop with that nonsense. I don’t agree with this decision either and frankly, only something like 24% of people polled in Texas actually want it. Just to give you a sample size of reality.
I’m replying to all of the white women who are yelling “Not me! Stop!” You are yelling at the wrong person. And you’re basically in the ilk of “Not all me.” White women like you ARE the ones who ACTIVELY caused all this to happen. Period.
girl_ninja – You are correct. Since the minute Trump was elected I began searching my own complicity in this bullshit, and I found myself lacking. I’ve always been a liberal and a fierce feminist, but it took Trump for me to really understand “white feminism.” I don’t know any republicans (the joy of a life lived in major cities) but I know white women haven’t done enough. We’ve nursed our own wounds from toxic white masculinity but not fully challenged how that toxicity hurts others.
I’m white & yeah I care. Never voted for Republican. Stop lumping all white women together.
Stop right now with this not all white women bs. Yes, historically white women did this. If that’s not you then it’s not you. Commit to not letting it happen again.
I’m replying to all of the white women who are yelling “Not me! Stop!” You are yelling at the wrong person. And you’re basically in the ilk of “Not all me.” White women like you ARE the ones who ACTIVELY caused all this to happen. Period.
White woman here, and while I personally never voted R, my white mother, grandmother, and aunts sure as hell have. We, as a whole, are absolutely part of the problem. You are speaking up to the wrong people. Instead of yelling “not all white women” at BIPOC, you should be yelling at the white women who voted for Trump and Republicans because they support these draconian policies. They support forced birth!!! Without the alarmingly large number of white women who voted for Trump, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Do better.
@Coco Bean
And who told you that we aren’t yelling at the white women who voted for Trump?
What am I supposed to “do better” about other women voting? Your argument doesn’t make sense. Not that the admins of this site would allow this comment.
@Tessa,
…and a hit dog will holler…
@ Tessa
What I am seeing here on this site are white tears and “not all white women”. It’s gross and comparable to “not all men” when it comes to rape cultural and sexual harassment. Sure, a lot of men don’t actively participate but they sure do benefit from the system, do nothing to fix it, and cry they aren’t the problem. Not speaking up IS part of the problem.
Do better. As people who benefit from a white, patriarchal system, be quiet when people who are directly harmed by it are angry at white women. Stop muddying the waters. Do better at educating yourself about intersectional feminism and how white tears harm black and brown bodies. They will be the ones shouldering the brunt of Roe v Wade being struck down. BIPOC women didn’t vote for Trump, don’t vote Republican. White women overwhelmingly do. Overall, white women benefit from their policies, whether you like it or not, because many of their policies are aimed at keeping the poor in poverty, limiting equality for marginalized groups, etc etc.
@Coco Bean
Except we ARE speaking up. That’s what I tried to tell you, yet here you are again, telling me that not speaking up is part of the problem. I never shut up, I cut off white family members, I have raged in white women groups on FB, I voted.
And no, it’s not comparable to “not all men”. Men aren’t affected by sexual harassment. White women are affected by abortion bans.
Harassment and racism are also built on unconscious biases. You can’t say “I stoped having biases”, you aren’t the judge of that. But there is no such thing as unconscious voting. We have proof that we saw and did the right thing. But apparently, as long as a single white granny is voting red, it’s fair game to kick white allies? Reeks of purity tests, don’t you think? What exactly do you think we gained today in this discussion? Told a bunch of white female Dems that they suck anyway and need to shut up? And that advanced our collective cause how?
@Tessa
I’m glad you’re doing all the things you’re doing to make this country a better place for everyone.
I don’t understand what was accomplished today by some white ladies reminding everyone that it’s not *their* fault this is happening. Why announce that? What does it do besides change the direction of the topic at hand? I know when people are angry at white women, they aren’t angry at me personally. I know how I’ve voted, I know what causes I support. I don’t need to shift the focus to me to remind them I’m an ally. I know they are angry at the white women who vote against the best interests of ALL women because they are the mothers, daughters, and wives who want the continued benefit of white, male power. I know, as a white woman, that I benefit too and because of the systems in place, will not feel the pressures of our democracy breaking as acutely as BIPOC. And for that I am angry. I am disgusted by white women (not you directly, but white women in general).
So when I say stop yelling about “not all white women” it’s because it has zero benefit to intersectional feminism to remind BIPOC, of all people, that it’s not your fault. The hurt feelings of white women just don’t matter as much to me as the real bodily harm that BIPOC women will face when Roe v Wade is overturned. Yes, all women will suffer but some groups more than others.
Obviously if this does not refer to you, you don’t need to “not all white women” this. How does it feel when we share our experiences of being sexually harassed and men jump in and say “I’ve never sexually harassed anyone?” If this isn’t about you, be quiet and do not hijack the discussion. Source: am white woman, realize it’s not about me and that I am not defensive about it. WW voted these crooks and oppressors in, that is a f’ing fact.
@celebitchy THANK 👏🏻YOU 👏🏻
@celebitchy is right. As a black woman I can’t talk about my experiences with racism without someone shutting me down with the “not all white people” You can’t ignore that an overwhelming majority of WW voted for these men and Trump. What are you doing about it? Do you volunteer at the polls? Are you calling out other WW who do or are you just silent?
Thank you. I appreciate you as a white woman understanding this and speaking on this.
THANK YOU CELEBITCHY!!! 🎉🎉🎉 This right here, all day.
Well said CB.
Thank you for the sexual harassment example! This is exactly parallel.
I’m white and my initial reaction is always “well I don’t do this”, but I check myself immediately. It’s not about me. Just like Me Too is not about my husband or my boss or any of the other men who don’t harass. It’s about the system as a whole.
And I know a LOT of white women who do think and vote this way.
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you CB – as a Canadian I hesitated to jump into this discussion because it’s very polarizing, but I was horrified to read this and I imagine there will be many more women wanting to leave the US in droves as the noose tightens around their rights and freedoms.
THANK YOU CB.
So true. I saw the headline about what Horrible Amy asked and just immediately wanted to smash something. I’m a white woman and am embarrassed to be one these days, honestly.
Thank you @celebitchy. Just read this whole thread and your comment made me very relieved. I am f6, very privileged, very liberal, and yes. We did this. We DO this. I really appreciate your support of BIPOC voices, that makes me glad to come to this site.
Oh boy, here we go with all the “not all white women” whining.
It IS a thing and the evidence of it affecting the last presidential election was everywhere. I’m willing to bet that most white women upset about the OP’s remark have no problem making the same generalized complaint about men’s sexist behavior towards women.
And I say this as a left leaning white woman.
To my fellow White women waving “I’m White and not the issue” flags, I highly recommend obtaining a copy of “White Tears, Brown Scars” by Ruby Hamad.
It’s a painful but important read that illuminates the way White women in multiple countries, time periods and settings have consistently weaponized any power they’ve had to push down and marginalize non-White (and non-White adjacent) men and women.
@Amy T
I agree.. It’s definitely a painful read, but so, SO important.
I’m replying to all of the white women who are yelling “Not me! Stop!” You are yelling at the wrong person. And you’re basically in the ilk of “Not all me.” White women like you ARE the ones who ACTIVELY caused all this to happen. Period.
The “not me” or “not all white women” folks doth protest too much. I’m willing to bet that if we looked at their history, we’d find evidence of them shutting down women of color and/or ignoring their concerns/lived experiences.
The “not this white woman” are the ones who feel the need to center themselves in any POC discussion, which is a huge part of the problem.
I’m white, Canadian and I support your comment. White women have to take the “it’s not about me-ism” out of this subject and gather together as a WHOLE to fight against the impending loss of this and MANY more of their rights and freedoms.
Yeah, of all the things to get upset about, being a white woman who is getting blamed for what many white women HAVE done is pretty far down on my list. Years of white woman being complicit in what white men were doing means that many people of color are not going to trust me automatically and I get it. I wouldn’t trust me, either.
Regarding Roe vs Wade – I am trying to get the energy to fight, but I’m still so angry about the vigilante law in TX and the recent school shooting (which fills me with fear every day I drop my 15 year old at school) that I’m not sure where to focus my energy. There is so much to be scared and angry about.
I’m white, and I support your comment.
It really hurts to say this…but one white woman in particular really let us down. RBG. She was a hero in so MANY ways, but she should have retired and allowed Obama to replace her. Holding on too long until a republican was in power hurt us all. Breyer is doing the same thing right now. It’s putting ego before humanity.
The problem was that Mitch McConnell was blocking any and all RBG replacements by Obama. The discussions were happening way way in advance of Merrick Garland’s nomination.
This is so depressing. I really want to leave this country. Why are the R’s SO OBSESSED with abortion? I just don’t get it.
Forced birthers, right?
The cruelty is the point. The hatred for women is the point.
From that OB who thinks that 9 year olds can safely give birth to their rapist’s baby to all this.
Would be great if the media would stop being a pack of right wing owned dogs who never pay attention to the important stuff.
I agree, the basis for this is hatred of women. Hatred of women underlines a lot of how republicans think. Being overly-macho and wearing camouflage and waving guns? Because they have to be especially “masculine” so as to distance themselves from anything feminine. Hatred of gays? Again, men who are too feminine are to be despised like women. Everything has to be couched in traditionally “masculine” terms like “strong” and “power”; anything that appears less than all-powerful (like compassion or empathy) is shunned. Thanks to republicans, this country is circling the toilet right now, and I am fearing that it will eventually go right down the drain.
And the MAJORITY of Americans (R’s and D’s) support Roe v Wade too! I honestly don’t think that most republicans want Roe v Wade overturned because then their one issue voters will just quit voting. I personally know people who vote republican (ugh) but are pro-choice and don’t want it overturned because they know it won’t stop abortion, it will just stop safe abortions.
I wonder about this too. Abortion was fully accepted and approved by conservatives in the beginning. It simply became an idiotic rallying (much like anti mask/vax and the tea party crap) effort much later that stuck and succeeded in getting dummies wound up. I didn’t think that Republicans actually wanted to overturn Roe so that their base would keep voting. However, now that they realize how gullible the rubes are, they can just use Fox news to get them outraged about something else. Pretty much anything else that they choose.
Don’t know if this is allowed, but there’s a great book on how abortion b/c the rallying cry of the right — it took decades of activism (and they hijacked the language of Civil Rights), but we’re seeing the results now. The book is called Tiny You by Jennifer Holland. It is eye-opening!
Their goal is to keep the majority of American population in poverty, which will allow the Republicans to maintain the control over it. People with means have always had access to health care and abortion, but poor people will be stuck in their miserable lives forever. I might be wrong, but that’s what it seems like from the outside.
Add to that control over women’s bodies and therefore their life choices. They say they don’t want unborn babies to die, but they also want to restrict access to birth control and sex education that would prevent unwanted pregnancies. So women are stuck with unwanted children and financial burden that will either keep them impoverished or forced to rely on men.
They are obsessed about controlling women. They see us as having the power to abort their babies, a power they wish to remove. They do not see women as a human life with thoughts, feelings, hopes or dreams.
Back to the dark ages we go.
Many of them don’t even care about abortion. They just want the single issue voters. I’m genuinely not sure which is worse. A person who actually believes abortion is wrong or someone who knows better but riles them up to secure their votes. The republicans have to grasp at straws to get elected anywhere. Abortion is just one of those straws.
I agree with you. I’m a cynic, I don’t think many of them actually do care about this issue, and honestly, I think some of them are afraid of Roe getting overturned because they will lose this cudgel to throw around and scare up evangelical votes. They will have to start throwing from their back foot and focus on gay marriage.
I think you’re right, it’s all about control and power, and those desperate to cling to it know what keeps them there.
If they really cared they would find a way to prevent wealthy woman from obtaining abortion services, but they don’t. It’s just to get their base riled up.
Kavanaugh lied in his confirmation hearing when he talked about precedent. Of course he did. Barrett lied when she talked about precedent. Their goal was to get on this court to overturn Roe. I just can’t believe that my 3 daughters will have a harder time than I did accessing healthcare.
Yes they absolutely lied. Not to mention the guy who appointed him tried to overthrow the government. Seems their legitimacy should be more in question than ever, yet here we are. Democrats need to deploy every tool at their disposal while they still have any power left at all. I was sickened listening yesterday…except to Justice Sotomayor, who was fierce.
Democrats need to stop being fking punks and playing nice and mannerly with the terrorists.
When you have roaches running around, you don’t kindly usher them from your home. You crush them.
Also, Kavanaugh talking about the Constitution being silent? it’s silent about a lot of things. Should all those things be banned?
My family in the US was asking me why I didn’t want to emigrate there to be closer to them. This is why.
My heart breaks for all US Celeb!tches – this is truly a dark day. As the US leads the rest will follow, in the UK there are members of our parliament who want to reduce the abortion term and my fear is that these people are taking notes from the SC justices like the Serena Joy with bad hair wannabe.
Hatred and intolerance is on the rise, EVERYWHERE!!!!
This will be a terrible outcome.
Elections don’t matter.
My vote doesn’t count.
All politicians are the same.
I’m casting a protest vote for _____.
That’s a candidate I want to have a beer with.
There’s nothing wrong with the electoral college.
How many times have we all heard some thing like this?
Yes, well said. And I fear too many people still won’t get it. Not until they are personally affected. I feel like each day in our country is sadder than the day before.
One thing that jumped out at me in the MS solicitor general’s exchange with Justice Sotomayor is that he was saying that “changes” over the decades in how pregnancy is viewed (by a minority) need to be considered. I wonder what the right would say about changes to weaponry and the U.S. military over the past century regarding the 2A?!
@Lucy2 and @ESMOM, you are absolutely correct.
I’m white and have three sisters. All are pro-choice and one has even had an abortion. All three either didn’t vote or voted third party in both 2016 and 2020 because they disliked both candidates. My oldest sister confessed to me that despite hating Trump and thinking he was one of the worst human beings walking the planet, she still voted for him in 2016 because she “could not stomach the idea of Hillary being president”.
Two of my sisters are nurses and have been on the front lines during the pandemic. They have both expressed endless frustration and heartbreak over how the Trump regime handled the pandemic. Yet neither voted for Biden in 2020 because they don’t think he’s mentally fit and besides “all politicians lie”.
During both elections, I stressed the importance of looking at the bigger picture and which candidate is most likely to make decisions that will have positive effects should they be elected. It all fell on deaf ears.
White privilege is real and I can guarantee you my sisters will be abhorred by this SCOTUS decision but will not bother to vote next year aa well as either sit out or protest vote in 2024.
I just had a conversation with a young man who was defending the fact that his 50 something mom had never voted. Telling me she’s too busy as a single mom to pay attention to issues, doesn’t see how her vote can change anything, she thinks both sides are the same. Then he went on to say it’s not her fault because the democrats do a bad job convincing people to vote. As if voting weren’t a civic duty but some optional chore one must be cajoled and enticed into. I’m afraid a majority of people, especially those in lowers economic classes, feel this way. And if they won’t pay attention, engage, and vote things will keep getting worse.
Google El Salvador and see what will start happening in states that have abortion bans/limits.
However, women were having abortions before and they will have abortions after. The risk is going to unsafe practices but time has moved on and hopefully underground network’s can spring up and help women travel out of state.
I also need to see some dark organisations leak the stories of mistresses of politicians (who support abortion bans) having abortions themselves.
Let’s spread this around as much as possible because there are plenty of Republican hypocrites around who don’t practice what they preach:
“Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, who has a strong anti-abortion voting history, acknowledged last month he had an affair with a married woman named Shannon Edwards, a forensic psychologist in Pittsburgh. Text messages sent between Murphy’s phone number and Edwards in January show the two discussing a pregnancy scare, and Edwards pointed out Murphy’s hypocrisy in pressuring her to get an abortion.”
That’s the thing, right? These rich politicians, they will always be able to get abortions or to get abortions for their wives/GFs/mistresses. It’s the poor people this will impact, the poor people who won’t be able to travel to another state to get an abortion, who already can’t take the time off work etc.
I live in a blue state and have vacation and sick leave and a car and the means to travel if I need to for an abortion. If my state banned it (not happening), I could easily cross into another state or travel to a state that does not have it banned.
But many, many women in this country do not have that ability.
I live in Texas, feeling sick about this, and what surely will happen next……
And this was their plan all along.
I was in an online group for expectant mothers back in 2007 when my son was born, and after we had our babies the mothers formed another group and kept in touch. As things go, everything turns political eventually. I remember Dubya was the president at the time and the Tea Party posse could not hold back their glee. When Obama won in Nov 2008, they were livid because they all worshiped Sarah Palin. I will never forget asking one Tea Partier what was her end game and she said, they were very patient and intended to stack the Supreme Court and overturn Roe vs. Wade. I told some friends who laughed it off.
sigh.
I heard Jane Elliott say that since white women tend to have more abortions than WOC, the restrictions are meant to increase the size of the white population, and stave off the increase of non-white populations. She put it more astutely than me, but that’s the basic idea.
Well, there are Christian groups all over the US, like the one that awful Duggar family belongs to, that promote having large families just to increase the number of conservatives. So, it would not surprise me.
I’ve always heard that, too. But sadly so many of the rabid zealots supporting bans on abortion have no idea about the real agenda. Not that it would matter to most of them, I suppose.
I don’t think that’s too far off. It is projected that whites will be the minority of the US population by about 2045 (if not sooner) and that terrifies them. Also, white births have been steadily decreasing for years. And they seem to be desperately scrambling to get people of color to join their crappy party.
So very gross. White woman here who didn’t reproduce. Take that, losers!
You need to adjust that to per capita. Those numbers do NOT stand per capita but if they are a racial majority, you could see a larger number of increased white births simply because they are a majority. All ethnicities should see a rise in live births. If you believe white women have more resources to obtain flights to locations where it is legal, the percentage rise of white births should change the least. I don’t expect a white majority to continue in perpetuity, nor should it, but outlier states like Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas will resist changing the most. Having the un-democratic Senate be the burial ground of legislation that the majority wants is offensive, just like the Senate refusing to vote on common sense and racially diverse judges.
I have sat by for 40 years and watched registered Dems NOT vote in midterms….I have watched 18 year olds NOT vote until they’re over 30…have watched White women BETRAY THEMSELVES AD NASEUM & not VOTE for humanity & decency…
I am no longer sad or angry…because I saw this happening when POTUS Obama…BEGGED US to vote in the 2014 midterms & folks didn’t…
It is what it is….and if folks do what they USUALLY do in next year’s midterms …well…there you go….I will continue to do what I’ve done since I was 18 years old…which is to vote for the ONLY PARTY that works to ensure the social net is strong…raise the wages of workers and who supports grown folks ability to marry who they want and who stay OUT OF WOMEN’S PUNANY’S😡
Amen!
Thank you. Get out and vote! It’s a disgrace that a low life like Trump could become President. Not to mention Boebert- who got her GED while campaigning!
Yep, that’s me, too. I vote Democratic, always have, always will, even in the midterms. I do not understand the people who pretend the parties are the same. Look at the number of canoes in Virginia who voted Republican because… reasons. Youngkin is going to be in office; guess what kind of politics are coming for the uteruses of Virginia women?
Just another example of why you don’t vote single issue. Why you don’t put your candidates through purity tests and why you don’t throw temper tantrums on Election day or abdicate your responsibility to vote because you “just don’t like” a candidate that otherwise represents your interests.
Why? Because you wind up exactly where we are now. The minority in control and making disastrous decisions that affect everyone because too many voters were too lazy or too entitled to do the right thing. And now the side effects of four years of 45’s administration are going to haunt us for generations.
+1
In order to vote Blue, we have to actually be able to vote. Voting rights legislation was the only thing that mattered once the Supreme Court was taken. And where has that been buried to die?
“Across the country, the GOP has proposed 425 voter suppression bills in 49 states, passing 33 such laws in 19 states — making it more difficult for communities of color, young people and other Democratic leaning constituencies to vote. But because Democrats have thus far failed to pass two pieces of legislation restoring the Voting Rights Act of 1965, gutted by the Supreme Court, more than 150 scholars of U.S. democracy warn that there is only a “slim window of opportunity left to act … and midnight is approaching.”
I’ve sat at home, voting Dem yes but not much else, like a passenger on the Titanic, and here we are. Scary shit is coming.
I will vote blue as I always have but I welcome any Republican or unregistered person who chooses to vote for reproductive rights as their single reason or litmus test to make them vote for choice. What happened in Texas riled up people and it affected the Newsome recall. We have to fight every election and be sure to vote all the way down the ballot, not just the top. And research the judges, change has to be at all levels!
As someone who escorted women into Planned Parenthood clinics in the 80’s, well, we warned everyone in 2016 what would happen if Trump won. And here we are, so for all the folks who voted 3rd party in 2016, for all the folks who sat out of the 2016 election, this is what we warned you about.
I gotta tell you, I’m tired, really f’in tired. I’m tired of the people who didn’t believe us, the women who fought the first time around, those of us who fought through the 80’s with idiot men bombing abortion clinics and killing physicians all the while claiming to be pro-life, which is BS of course, they are pro controlling women’s bodies as evidenced by their, my body my choice over the COVID-19 vaccine.
I’m tired. I’m tired of people who refuse to learn and then are suddenly crying because we lost again, women are set back again, I’m g’d d’mnd tired. But if so many of you refuse to vote, or believe bs and you vote 3rd party, well, this is what happens when you take your eye off the prize. I’m tired and I can’t believe we gotta do this again. But guess what, even though I’m tired and disappointed and disgusted, I’m still going to fight, so you’d better be there with us this time, you’d better suck it up and vote Republicans out of office everywhere, if you don’t, we will never regain what we’ve lost.
Sorry for the rant, but seriously, I am tired and angry.
And you are absolutely right. We shouldn’t have to be fighting these battles again and yet, here we are.
In the late 80s, I sat holding my friend’s hand as she got an abortion (we were in college, neither she nor her boyfriend were ready to be parents and that relationship was on it’s last legs regardless).
Fast forward 10 years. My sister-in-law was 18 weeks pregnant with a badly wanted sibling to their two year old. She had a miscarriage, while living in Georgia. My brother took her to the local emergency room because she was bleeding so badly. No one in the ER knew how to do a D&E, which she needed to stop the bleeding. They had to call in the head of obstetrics at 2am to save her life.
And people wonder why my queer 17 year old is applying to universities in Canada, hoping to be able to legally immigrate after they graduate.
Heart sick. Pit in my stomach.
Same. It all seems so hopeless.
So fucking depressing…
As someone who had to terminate a very-much-wanted pregnancy two years ago for medical reasons, I cannot imagine what I would’ve done without the caring, compassionate people at Planned Parenthood. They offered me compassion in my lowest hour and I still tear up thinking about how kind the whole staff was, from the receptionist who made sure Lord of the Rings was on TV while my husband sat in the waiting room to the doctor who insisted on helping the other doctor with the procedure because she could see how difficult this was for me. Truly a light in a dark time. I’m gutted by what’s happening now.
I have read so many stories like yours. I am so sorry. And sorry for all the women in the future who won’t be able to terminate safely. Women are going to needlessly die and these chucklef*cks just don’t care.
This makes me feel physically ill. It’s all about control. It has nothing to do with sanctity of human life. The same a-holes have proven that during the pandemic.
What a dark time for our country. While I was afraid this was coming, I was still holding out hope that it wouldn’t. Worse times are ahead.
Sit your Serena-Joy-Waterford-ass down, Amy.
We will never go back. We need each work hard to do everything in our power to subvert these restrictions in our own communities.
This is a horrific moment in history, but I do have hope that this will galvanize the electorate. I KNOW that the majority of us do not want to lose reproductive rights and autonomy over our own bodies and medical treatment.
If Roe is overturned, they’re saying that women don’t have the right to liberty and equality under the US constitution.
I’m so pissed off. I knew this was coming in 2016 and so many people kept telling me that I was overreacting.
This won’t stop with Roe. They’re coming for everything. Marriage equality- gone. Birth control-gone. Interracial marriage-gone. Shit I wouldn’t be surprised if they want to roll back anti-segregation laws.
How long until leaving the state to get an abortion is also a crime? I mean, right now people with means can leave the state, but someone’s going to make that a crime, too. I hate to doomsday but the way they’re heading women having a period every month is going to be a crime.
Women will die from preventable conditions because doctors won’t want to risk helping them for fear of being charged with a crime.
I hate to agree, but I’m afraid I do.
During the cold war era, women in some eastern block countries had to report every month for a pregnancy check — if they were pregnant, they would be monitored to make sure they carried the baby to term. I can see the USA going down that path. Despite the republicans’ rabid claims of being “more American” than the dems, it’s the republicans who copy dictators.
The thing that always springs to my mind is how this would have affected my care with a tubal pregnancy. I thought the pain and slight bleeding was from a miscarriage and was waiting for things to resolve. I had IBS from stress from when I was a social worker previously and the pain was in the same area, so I didn’t think too much beyond that I was stressed. My husband got laid off a lot during this time and we didn’t have coverage when that happened. I was home with our first so not working. One day the pain was so bad I could not function, and I made an appointment, and the Dr. was thinking the same as me and scheduled a D and C. The day of the procedure, I sat and sat waiting. Turns out my blood test showed an increase in pregnancy hormones from the first one. and I recall hearing the surgeon talking on the phone saying, “She doesn’t know she is pregnant”. But I didn’t know it was about me and had to wait until the OB had time to talk to me. An ultrasound showed that there had been an explosion as my ovary was actually behind my uterus. The hypothesis was that the bleeding was from a bit of placenta that implanted on its way out. I was so lucky there was a way out as the implantation area was just outside of the uterus. I was close enough to death as it was – my own fault for not getting help sooner. But can you imagine if I had to go to court to ask for a D and C ?! You could die waiting.
Griswold v Connecticut is next. If Roe falls, they’re coming for our birth control.
They can skip right over Roe to Griswold. They have been threatening to do that for years. Overturning Griswold wipes out Roe too. They are going for Griswold NOW.
They are not going to overturn Roe, they are going to overturn Griswold, the foundation for Roe. Without Griswold, there is no Roe. Without Griswold, there is no right to birth control. They have made no secret that their target is Griswold.
Exactly, LP. It’s way more likely Griswold will come first.
And with Griswold gone, Roe is automatically gone,, as are many other privacy rights.
For all the people out there (Susan Sarandon) who said Hillary would be just as bad as Trump or the Bernie or Bust voters in 2016 how did that work out? Looking at theThe 3rd party Jill Stein voters as well. 2016 was a year of an absolute wrong and an absolute right. For those who sat it out, voted for Trump or anyone other than Hillary this sh-t is on you. I am a 51 year old woman of menopausal age. I voted and I fought. So disgusting!
@Eurogirl70, IKR? I am so angry and thinking terrible, terrible thoughts, like, “Okay, all you young women with your political purity tests, have fun bending those wire coat hangers and giving yourselves bleach-and-Coca-Cola douches!” Horrible, I know. But the right has been very clear on their intent for decades. How could ANY woman have been complacent about our reproductive rights?!? Or think that it would be “fun” to play around with elections and watch it all blow up?
I’m still angry at the people that I know that voted for Bernie. So angry that I stopped speaking to some of them.
This is fundamentally an issue of separation of church and state. Don’t believe in abortions? Great, don’t have one. But you goddamn well don’t get to legislate your religious preferences and oppress others. Fuck this noise.
It’s a tough day, but as Kaiser mentioned, Roe was effectively dead in 2016. And really, Roe has been dead for many poor women for much longer, thanks to state level restrictions (waiting periods, hospital admitting privileges for doctors performing abortions, etc) that were designed to make it prohibitively expensive & difficult to access abortion. The clinic in this case, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is the *only* abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi. That is not an accident. They’ve been attacking women for decades.
During the Trump years, I came to realize that almost nothing is illegal for the rich and almost nothing is truly legal for the poor. That is what we have to work on at all levels. But with abortion in particular, one of the best ways to help is to find an abortion fund to support. They make it possible for people to get the abortion care they need all over the country. You can find a list of funds here: https://abortionfunds.org/funds/. I’m going to go up my monthly donation to my state fund.
Thank you so much for that link for the list of funds Lizzie Bathory!
I started a monthly donation a few months ago (Texas bill) and am going to up it today. I think the pro-choice groups are going to get a crapton of $ out of this. And maybe the pro-life groups will lose some.
The infighting here is a prime example of why things don’t get done. And the giving up and fleeing instead of staying and fighting with the tools in our toolbox (voting) adds to the problem.
The bad guys made all the right moves and staying on message. People who believe in women’s rights, etc, need to start doing the same.
People shouldn’t have to defend the color of their skin, religion, etc. This issue affects everyone, disproportionally on a socioeconomic issue. Stop pointing fingers and work towards a goal.
Pardon me but I have voted in every local state and federal election since1988. I have worked on the ground and even when I knew a candidate might not be perfect I voted knowing that there was more at stake than just my own wants. Keep your eye on the prize as it were. Instead, there are too many voters who would rather not vote if they can’t get 100% of what they want than get 60% and continue working toward a more perfect union. That is why it is always 2 steps forward and 50 years back. I am judgmental because this could have been avoided and anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t been paying attention since Nixon and the southern strategy and Reagan bringing the religious right into the political fold and his repeal of the Fairness Doctrine that allowed idiots like Rush Limbaugh to pollute the political airways for 30+ years and all the others that have come since then. I am no longer of the temperament or inclination to handhold with selfish shortsighted Kens and Karens
@Eurogirl70, preach. I’m damned sick and tired of young women pointing at boomer women like me and saying we’re the problem. We fought like hell to make birth control available to everyone, to get it covered by insurance, for women to be able to work past marriage/childbirth, for women to get the same pay and have the same advancement opportunities as men, to get companies to implement more family-friendly policies and benefits… I think you get the point. Only to see countless women take it for granted and IGNORE the right wing’s clearly-communicated intent to dismantle it all and force us back into dependency on men.
Yes, I will continue to fight, but I absolutely reserve the right to throw others’ ignorance, pettiness, and laziness in their faces.
Voting does nothing when politicians are financially incentives to vote against our best interests. I’m black, we’ve seen this bullshit over and over. Our fight is always destroyed by people who choose ytness over decency and this is how we got here. If all the Black, Asian, and Latinx people leave, then this dumpster fire is placed in the laps of the people who created it without the negative impact on our communities. It’s easy to say fight when you expect everyone else to do it at a personal expense.
So we give birth to unwanted babies that go into a deplorable foster care system where they will be neglected, abused and God knows what else, which is just another facet of the mental torture to be placed on these women’s shoulders?
That is some sadistic shit right there.
You got that right: sadistic. They don’t care.
Don’t you know – bootstraps.
ABC birthed a few children and considers being forced to carry a pregnancy to term comparable to getting a mandated vaccine. Alrighty. lol.
If this happens there will be violence like we’ve never seen in this country.
I heard on the news this morning that about 12 states have anti abortion laws ready to go. I can guess already without actually looking it up what states and where they are located.
It’s like these states are proud of being ranked at the bottom already of health care, infant death rates, literacy and education.
I vowed to never set foot in those states again if that happens. And the the next step is to find out what companies are based in those states and never give those companies my money. I’m already ready for Arkansas = Walmart.
How did this minority get ahold of this country?
I have been trying to push down a panic attack all morning because of this. It has genuinely made me feel physically ill. Start donating to abortion funds NOW, guys. They will be sorely needed, even more so than they already are. In addition to paying for the procedure, they help pay for gas/airfare, lodging, childcare, and translators.
https://abortionfunds.org/
Those of us who live in blue states, where abortions may be still be accessible, especially need to share our privilege. If you’re feeling especially generous, you can even open your home to women seeking abortions. My fiancé and I, as well as my dad and stepmom, have done this for several young women, and they were all so grateful to have an actual home to stay in before and after the procedure, with a hot meal and someone caring and supportive by their side, instead of a lonely hotel room. If you live in NYC or a part of NJ close to the city, and are willing to host someone, you can get in touch with the Haven Coalition to volunteer.
http://www.havencoalition.org/
Thank you for sharing this, Miranda. I’m going to see if my state has a similar program.
Thank you for sharing, going to see if my area in CA has a similar program
Thank you, I think these programs are a good idea. One worry that I have, is “living in a blue state” may not mean much if the dems can’t control the senate and house. It’s only a matter of time before the republicans make a federal law banning abortions.
No exceptions even for rape and incest. They are MONSTERS.
America just hates women. Instead of doctors and patients making medical decisions it’s a bunch of rich judges and politicians who have no fing clue about women’s health. None of these people are high risk ob/gyns or work at crisis centers for abused women. Also fun fact that the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the US is murder (usually by the child’s father) but I guess that doesn’t matter to these idiots. I’m so ashamed of this country.
The question now is, watcha gonna do?
I’m in California and my home will be open to any woman needing an abortion.
They will be my good online friend I have known for years.
I will drive them to all appointments and outings they may have.
Oregonian here and I’ll do the same. And if some dumb sh*t Texan wants to take me to court, bring it! Put me in jail, I do not care. I’m 48, I have a bunch of leave saved up, my friends can take care of my cats. I’m from Idaho, which seems to have a trigger law, so maybe I can start there.
The US is such a dystopian hell hole right now.
They are going to take away a woman’s rights over her own body because of “life”, but the same party champions a person who crossed state lines looking for people to shoot and kill.
The fixation on demeaning women, disenfranchising POC, and arming extremists is TERRIFYING.
I wish we could start a non-profit in California that will be like a faux pen pal service. A woman that needs an abortion in a state where they are illegal would befriend a CA account on social media. The account would invite the woman to stay with them for a California vacation. Donations would pay for the travel costs and help the woman go out of state for the procedure. Donations could also cover any legal expenses that might arise.
Millions of people come to CA for vacation every year. How would they be able to distinguish those that go to also get an abortion?
I would support something like that.
Agreed. I’m in Oregon and would be totally on board with this.
Do it. Don’t wait. Don’t ask for permission. The only thing I would do is spend some time consulting a serious computer security geek (aka-competent hacker) to protect yourself. If there’s one thing I want to impart, action needs to be taken now.
So the future goal of America is to make sure Handsmaid’s tale events actually happen.
If giving up autonomy over your own body is the price to pay to keep another person alive, then I want the names, addresses, and blood type of all anti-abortion people to be published and put into a bone marrow registry — then anyone who needs a blood donation or a new kidney or bone marrow, can come and force that republican to donate whether they want to or not. These anti-abortion people should live by their own rules, and give up any part of their body that another person needs to stay alive. Until that happens, they have no business outlawing abortion.
Every single American who didn’t affirmatively cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton in 2016 is responsible for whatever this court does. I don’t f*cking care if they voted for Trump, if they voted for Kermit the Frog, if they got a flat tire and a sore throat and a broken leg or if (most likely) they were just lazy and apathetic a$$holes.
I am hexing all of them, that they will bear the costs of their choices, and them alone.
Agree with every word Sassafras. I still feel guilty for not managing to naturalize in time to vote for Hillary.
I’m so disgusted
The same people who think it’s ok to force a woman to carry a pregnancy to term also think that attempted sexual assault is no biggie. Look at the Court.
During Kavanaugh’s hearing, the Senate refused to call an eyewitness to K’s attempted rape to testify. It’s so rare to have a witness in these situations. But it doesn’t matter, if the opportunity to control women is on the line. Judges let proven rapists go all the time if they are white and rich enough.
The GOP has nothing to offer the average person except the chance to keep women or minorities in their place.
BARRETT IS DISGUSTING
Horrified. My God, how much can they take from us? Damn Trump Kushners for empowering those turning back all of our rights. Saddened and horrified beyond belief. Turning back all that my grandparents, my parents, myself, so many of us, have fought for, and won. This is ominous alright. Turning back civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights over our own bodies. And yes it will next be gay rights and rights of minorities too if it isn’t already. My Dad is in hospice now, it is hell, and on top of all that pain, the idea that all that he worked for and achieved for others is being tossed away makes me profoundly sad. We have got to join together and not let this happen, I beg you. LOVE.
I’m so sad your Dad is in hospice. I know what that’s like, and I’m so so sorry.
You know what’s right, and quite frankly we need love, but not the sentimental kind. We need to love the society we want to live in enough to get up off our asses and do something. Now. Not tomorrow, or the next day. Not be internet warriors and type eloquent soliloquies- but do something. Raise hell. Raise money-get people fired. Burn shit down if you have to, but we have to do something other than what we’re doing right now because it got us to a place we don’t like and we are going to have to live through this. Those that did this are playing chess not checkers which means so do we.
Maybe an unpopular opinion (feeling a little glass half-full since I recently fled a red state for a blue), but there are limits to how far people will bend. I agree with the commenters stating that the right is danger close to over-playing their hand here. We are seeing a big migration from Cali in particular to some red states, in particular Texas. I don’t think they have a firm grasp on what the voter landscape will look like in a few short years. The Dems have a problem with not striking back in a unified way, yes, but I think there is a lot of underestimating of the changing demographics.
I’m just here to rant so take it or leave it, as you wish:
1. R v W is outdated. It’s older than me and I’ve spent my entire life hearing that I have to fight constantly to prevent it from being overturned. But here’s the thing: R v W doesn’t protect abortion. It simply prevents states from outright outlawing abortion. So states where abortion was legal pre R v W (like obviously California and NY) won’t be outlawing it ever. And newer sanctuary states like Illinois provide options for girls and women in neighboring states. If R v W is overturned, we won’t be returning to 1973.
2. We need a federal law. As nice as it is to yell “abortion is just as protected by the constitution as gun rights!” the fact is that a federal law will protect abortion better and be less subject to court challenges.
3. It’s not 1973 and we won’t be shamed for having sex. We will have sex. We will use birth control. And in the event of an unintended/unwanted pregnancy, we will not be shamed for being sexual beings. That’s small comfort to teen girls in red states and rape survivors, but one thing they cannot legally deny us is our history. We can still rewrite this fucking narrative to say there is no shame in having a teen pregnancy or being a rape survivor. There’s only pride and strength drawn from adversity. It may not feel that way in the moment, but we will as women will support other women. We will not shame them. We can all commit to that.
I saw a great clip on the confirmation hearing discussion around R. vs W. Of the key figures with this decision. Needless to say they all talked a different story during their confirmation hearings.
Where the hell is McConnell, he’s responsible for the last three who definitely don’t belong on the court.
9 is what we’ve had. Add 2 or 4 more Biden…These folks are extremists that are not fit to administer legal binding opinions that will alter decades of lives. McConnell is responsible for denying Pres.Obama the legitimate opportunity to add to the court and the last rushed add right before the election was all McConnell as well. She’s not SC material.
How do you go forth knowing if McConnell hadn’t power stunted, you wouldn’t have a chance in hell of the seat?
Also the SC that ushered in R vs.W was majority Republican, how did we arrive here with these extremists?
This white woman is starting at home with her white relatives.
Those siblings and family members who voted for this are cut off. Shunned.
If more of us put our foot down it would end.
Too many of us put up with it.
Out them all. Every woman who voted republican and has had an abortion. Every republican man who has gotten a wife daughter or mistress an abortion. Out them all. Find the receipts and out them.
Hoping and praying for the Nineteenth amendment to be repealed next.
I kinda always thought that was the problem with common law though. You don’t have a set of premade laws that judges are obliged to apply and follow, but you have judges making law with every new court case. Since I’m from Continental Europe I always found that idea fundamentally dangerous and somewhat absurd. Because of course judges are human, and juries (another bizarre thing I never understood) are also just a bunch of ordinary people, so the fact law was made and remade through such a process was bound to end up in laws being remade depending on political tides and populist rhetoric.
If it wasn’t all bad enough…Scott Stewart, who argued the case for the State of Mississippi that the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade, was the Trump administration’s top lawyer defending family separations in federal court.
I truly wish these politicians and the Supreme Court would focus on providing women with a lot more support in regards to whatever assistance they need if they choose give birth. A lot of women would like to have the child but have no support or help in anything, including medically with shelter, financially, daycare and all the necessities of living and with caring for a baby. Instead they are demonizing women. There needs to be far more access to contraceptives and contraceptive options for women as well. These people have no interest in actually helping women in whether they have a child or don’t want a child. They are trying to strong arm women into having the child while ignoring what that process really entails or helping them with pre-natal care or afterwards with caring for a child or any medical care they may need throughout. That is extremely problematic.