Roe v. Wade

July 6, 2022

The Mitch McConnell sponsored packing of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) with extremist rightwing politically activist justices bore fruit in the form of a series of decisions unleashed in the final days of its most recent session. By effectively stealing what should have been an appointment by Obama of a justice to replace Antonin Scalia at his passing on a made-to-order grounds of allowing the incoming President to nominate the new justice since the sitting President was a lame duck owing to his ineligibility to serve a third term in office (despite the fact that the vacancy would last nearly an entire year before a new POTUS was sworn in), the Senate GOP put into motion what would become the most rightwing Court in recent history. The retirement of Justice Kennedy (again making way for another hard-right replacement legitimately nominated by the then sitting Trump) further moved the Court to the liking of Republican hardliners.

Lo and behold, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death – even nearer to the end of Trump’s term than Scalia’s was to the end of Obama’s – enabled the Senate GOP and Majority Hypocrite-In-Chief Mitch McConnell to ditch his opportunistic sophistry that the new appointment should await the winner of the 2020 Presidential race and let Trump replace that 3rd Justice in what time remained in his first term. Miracle of miracles, the newly revamped SCOTUS was able to double down on a series of decisions that have angered a large majority of the American people – including a majority of voters (for those who may have forgotten, Trump lost the 2020 election by millions more than he lost the popular vote in 2016 – this time losing the electoral vote as well). Three hard core right wing activist Justices, two of whom would never have even been nominated under normal circumstances.

For a President whose major accomplishment in his first(and probably only) term in office, Donald Trump will leave behind the legacy of creating a SCOTUS that seems hellbent on destroying the remnants of our democracy that has survived voter suppression and the election fraud policy of gerrymandering a way in which an increasingly smaller minority party can gain and maintain power over state legislatures, both Houses of Congress and even the Whitehouse itself indefinitely. The same applies to the entire Federal Judiciary branch, especially the Supreme Court itself – with a 6-3 ultra-conservative majority ensconced and continuing to serve up every variety of simply horrific decision (like the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the anti-gun-control decision just released) for the foreseeable future, possibly for decades.

Trump did not accomplish this unaided. Mitch McConnell declared early on in the Obama Administration that his main goal was to turn Obama into a one-term President. He failed, largely because Obama was able to see passage of the Affordable Care Act and other essential legislation prior to the 2010 midterm elections. The current 50-50 split in the Senate is often unable to pass legislation. Even when all 50 Democrats vote in unison (which has been problematic to say the least), GOP Senators can use the filibuster to kill any bill they wish by making sure fewer than 10 Republicans will vote with the Democrats. This was not possible when key legislation was passed under Obama.

By sending the issue of abortion/choice back to the states, SCOTUS has ensured a somewhat haphazard hodgepodge of legislation varying state to state. Laws passed by some states years ago gain validity and making it more difficult and costly for millions of American women to avail themselves of reproductive health care. Obviously, this affects those at the lower end of the economic scale far more than those at the top – especially if long-distance travel is necessary. Just as states that refused to expand Medicaid hurt economically disadvantaged residents under the ACA, vast differences in state abortion laws do likewise. Those affected most dramatically are obviously all women, and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities at the lower end of the economic ladder.

This fostering of different rights for people based on which state they live in is simply unacceptable. Health care is a human right and should not depend on where someone lives in this country. Making an entire gender subject to such vagaries should not be allowed – any more than it ever should again affect one’s ability to vote, exercise their rights as enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Will they attack LGBT rights, marriage equality or any other vestiges of 18th, 19th or 20th century laws that we found abhorrent and legislated against at the federal level in the future? I fear we are in danger of embarking on a future replete with any number of idiotic, inhumane or utterly immoral state laws reversing current laws and reverting to a situation that is utterly unacceptable in a country that claims to have a democratic government protecting individual rights and equal justice under the law.

We need to halt this slippery slope of turning this society into one determined to Make America Great again by restoring misogynistic, racist, homophobic and/or xenophobic values that treat way too many people like criminals just because they do not share my personal preferences or lifestyle without affecting my life in any negative way whatsoever. Many of us know enough about this country’s past history to not ever want us to repeat the evils perpetrated on many of our predecessors by some of their contemporaries. Reproductive choice needs to be equally available to all Americans. The midterm elections this coming November need to make a statement that we as a people know how the GOP are trying to turn our government into an autocratic state instead of the democracy we desire. Vote in representatives in all levels of government – from local to state to federal – who will listen to, rather than mute, ALL of our voices.

Remember – Birds aren’t real.

Further Suggested Readings:

19-1392 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows – POLITICO

AOC Says Democrats Must ‘Leave It All on the Field’ to Defend Abortion Rights

Does it matter that most Americans want to keep Roe v. Wade?

You Can’t Stop the Overturn of Roe v Wade, but Here are 6 Things You Can do to Mitigate the Harm and Fight Back

Unhappy Mother’s Day Due to Forced Birthing

With Roe Under Threat, Sale of Location Data on Abortion Clinic Patients Raises Alarm

Opinion | Is the Supremely Right-Wing Court About to Overturn the Majority’s Will on Abortion?

Political Supreme Court takes away the rights of Citizens

21st Century Fascism: The Bid For Survival By A Dying Capitalist Order, by Rainer Shea