I've been thinking a lot lately about Roe Vs. Wade. This bothers me because I really hate thinking about Roe Vs. Wade. The whole subject of abortion is so loaded with vitriolic fervor that almost any conversation ends up turning into a shouting match. Or at least one of those icy standstills where everyone "agrees to disagree" but secretly thinks the other is an anti-women's rights zealot or a pro-death baby killer. Me, I've always been torn on the issue but still considered myself firmly on the "pro-choice" side of the fence.
The reason I'm writing about this gawd-awful subject is because Alito very well may get confirmed soon and it is now reasonable that Roe may be overturned. So what will this mean for America? Truthfully, not a whole hell of a lot.
First off, many states have legal abortion coded into their constitution meaning that either the legislature or the people would have to vote it out. This legislation probably would pass in some of the southern states like Mississippi, Texas, or Georgia, but certainly not in California, New York, or Illinois. Also, in the aforementioned “Red states”, the number of doctors that perform abortions is pretty low. An example of this is that in South Dakota there is only one clinic where someone can get a legal abortion. So even if it is outlawed down south, the overall total numbers of abortions performed will not likely drop very much.
From the political position, it’s also unlikely that any group would even try to get an anti-abortion measure on the ballot in most states as this is an issue that would truly galvanize the left and the center into coming out to vote. The simple fact is that the majority of America is for Legal Abortion. Now let’s say they tried this in Massachusetts or California during the 06’ mid term election. Just like adding an “anti-gay marriage” bill to the election is sure to bring out the right, this would be the motivating issue of the left. And the end result is that the Republicans can kiss both their Governor’s and a number of house seats goodbye. Even with Diebold machines. And as I’ve stated before, this issue may be great fodder for the base, but if it really comes down to a choice of keeping control of congress or outlawing abortion, I don’t think we need to wonder which way Karl Rove and Dick Cheney will go.
Finally, and quite importantly there is the civil disobedience/ “Dr Sunshine” factor. Prior to Roe V. Wade there were a number of doctors across the country who would perform abortions regardless of the law. Now that this has been legal for 30 years it is safe to imagine that the number of doctors who are willing to disobey the law will grow exponentially. Also, many of the doctors who performed abortions were not arrested before, so it’s very likely they will not be this time either. I can definitely understand the appeal of having legal language on your side, but unless that law is really obeyed it is nothing more than an idealistic victory.
However, in the interest of bringing both sides together, if the Christian Right was really serious about stopping the “ murder of innocents” they would do something that has worked for the left in the past: Reach to the center. So here is my suggestion on how they should try to solve the problem of people having abortions: Cut out the root causes, then the need will be so low that it won’t be much of an issue. And most importantly, you are saving lives in the process.
This could be very easily accomplished with a series of bills that would answer the concerns of young mothers. The first would address some version of universal health care for children, ( almost) completely unrestricted by income or location. The second would be universal pre school starting at 6 months and up. The hard part is that this would need to be readily available even in small towns, so to me one of the best solutions would be to require colleges and high schools to each have one. Or at the very least for one day care per district or geographical area. The third would be to increase the state and federal paid maternity leave time to a minimum of six months. In short, this would enable a 16-18 year old girl who’s boyfriend just ran off after he found out she was pregnant to complete school, attend college, and know that her child will be able to get help if he or she is sick. And I don’t mean emergency-room sick, I mean the sort of chicken-pox/stomach flu/ear infection sick that breaks young parents hearts.
And of course, the final bill would be something restricting abortion, except in the case of rape or incest.( Because only the most fervent pro-lifers think that should be illegal, and that would never pass with 86% of America.)
And I know this wouldn’t be essential, but it would help their cause, they should try being consistent some of the time. If you are going to call yourself “Pro-life,” actually be PRO-LIFE. Don’t support war as the first option in foreign policy; don’t disregard the death’s of children overseas in Africa or Iraq. There lives are just as important as Bobby and Susie’s. Also, don’t talk about the death penalty as such a great thing because you can’t support state sanctioned murder and still be “Pro-life.” And finally, if you are not going to make any effort to improve the child’s quality of life, then admit you are only “pro-birth” and you will at least earn the respect of the left for being honest.
I realize the last paragraph was a little bash-y but I think that’s the double edged sword of strong-moral convictions. You put yourself on a higher pedestal than others and thus you must also “walk the walk” of those convictions. One of the first rules of politics is that you have to fight the realistic fight and unless people can bend a little then I think we will be eternally doomed to hear the bleating of the extremists on both sides.
