Roosting Chickens 


Or, how we're living in Wade's world 

In 2004, I heard anecdotally about relatives and friends of friends who were pro-choice but voted for Bush. Fear of terrorists and Iraqi mushroom clouds scared them. Abortions being made illegal certainly didn't.

Well, welcome folks; I hope you're happy. USA Today has a scary look at the state of abortion access today and tomorrow. Go here. Some of the things that I plucked out.
 
• unsurprisingly, the states that will likely continue to provide access are blue states, but are actually only about a third of the US population; the states that will likely severely restrict access are about half (they put PA in the latter group, but I think it's more of a middle of the road state) 
• besides looking at the state map, check out the table on the numbers of abortion providers in each state and you'll see that abortion is already largely inaccessible to a wide swath of the population. For instance, a fairly large state like Kentucky has three abortion providers in the whole state. The whole state. Sure, NoKY folks can head across the river to Cincinnati, etc., but still. Many states have numbers in the single digits. 
• Of course, what that means economically is really a discussion for someone else, but you can see how abortion access reifies class immobility. And the states are just helping: Ohio may pass a law that "would ban abortions at state-funded hospitals and by public employees except those needed to save the life of the mother or mandated by the federal Medicaid program. It would declare that 'the public policy of the state of Ohio (is) to prefer childbirth over abortion to the extent that is constitutionally permissible.'" Private access? No problem.

Perhaps now young women who voted based on the irrational and invented fears of this administration will vote differently based on much more real fears. But, then again, it might be too late.

And why do I care? Not simply because of various women's rights issues, but also because this gets back to the core issues of privacy and control over one's body. Lawrence v. Texas is not old; the current Supremes may decide that they prefer Bowers v. Hardwick. And who knows...Griswold may not be the "super-precedent" everyone was trying to get Alito and Roberts to say that it is.

Yikes.

PS: If you have never read Jesus' General, it's a scary hoot. He writes letters to right-wing nutcases, in "support" of their various inanities. He always signs off "Heterosexually Yours." Anyway, one of my favorite "letters" of his was to Maria Cantwell for her failure to filibuster Alito. Just go read it yourself to see where we are going in this country... 

Posted: Mon - April 17, 2006 at 11:45 PM         |

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