Daily Kos

View Story | 98 comments

  •  Where do I start? (none / 0)

    The real question is whether they abhor it enough to put women and doctors in jail for seeking or performing abortions. The average, uninformed and apatheic American voter is new to things like consequences.

    No, the real question is how we will cope after such a law is passed.  You discuss the consequences of criminalizing abortion in a way that makes me think you really don't understand how fundamental a change such laws will bring about.  It has nothing to do with putting pregnant women in jail.  Or doctors either for that matter.  What will happen is doctors will stop performing abortions when abortions become illegal.  That means that if you or your girlfriend or your daughter or your peri-menopausal mother get pregnant by accident, you will have no realistic choice but to bear that child.  If you are desperate enough, you will find someone to perform the abortion for you -- illegally.  If you do, you might be lucky and successfully abort the fetus without damaging or killing herself.  You may not be lucky.  In the meantime, you and/or your girlfriend will become parents whether you are 14 or 44.  Parenthood is a big deal -- ask anyone with kids.  Married, single, in high school or living in a hovel with your other 12 kids you are going to have another mouth to feed.  

    Abortion-criminalization laws are about as damn fundamental as it gets.  Before you start telling NARAL how to protect reproductive rights, educate yourself.        

    First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Gandhi

    by flo58 on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 07:57:57 PM PDT

    [ Parent ]

    •  Your assumption.... (none / 0)

      .... that anti-abortion legislation can be passed at the federal level is unrealistic. A clear majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade.

      The most probable scenario is one where a handful of states pass laws criminalizing abortion. I do not disagree that the scenario you depicted will play out in these states. However, this nightmare will be limited to these states. Yet women (a small percentage, no doubt) can still cross state lines to get an abortion. Then, states banning abortion can do one of three things:

      • Keep the ban without punishing women who cross state lines to get an abortion.
      • Keep the ban and prosecute women who cross state lines to get an abortion.
      • Life the ban altogether.

      I think we can both agree that option #1 and option #3 are highly unlikely. The only way these states can clamp down on the few women who cross state lines to get an abortion is by throwing them in jail.

      Even if you disagree with every letter of every word or every sentence I have written, you have got to see that NARAL is fumbling around with much of a clue.

      Obama/Gore '08

      by crazymoloch on Wed Aug 24, 2005 at 08:54:47 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

View Story | 98 comments