I know. But given the diaries on the last-ditch suits from the people who are mourning the death of Prop 8 to get the weddings stopped AGAIN because the evil 9th Circuit didn't wait 25 days, there's no reason not to share the op ed piece Maggie Gallagher wrote for the Los Angeles Times Thursday now. ESPECIALLY since the headline reads "DOMA ruling: Echoes of Roe vs. Wade." ROE VS. WADE. Marriage Equality and Abortion are the same thing. So now you know. Misogynist and homophobic. The filters have been removed, and now they don't care what they say. Just like the day after the last election. Let's see what she has to say now in the context of losing again.
Naturally, we begin with the Supreme Court, especially Justice Kennedy, ignoring 7 million Californians and Congress because "new, leftist values" (simply embellishing what Scalia had to say in his dissent to DOMA). Predictable. I don't agree, so this must be ideological. Whatever.
But here's her thesis:
Kennedy's reasoning has little to do with the law; rather, he seems to be trying to write his own moral values into the Constitution. He may have seen himself as writing this generation's Brown vs. Board of Education. But in fact, his decision is much more likely to become the Roe vs. Wade of this generation.
How come? Public opinion was quickly turning toward allowing abortion in the early 1970s (she doesn't explain why or mention the effects of thalidomide, but never mind) and the opponents of abortion were mostly older people, just as she sees the opponents of marriage equality. But now we have a vibrant anti-abortion movement and Justice Stevens alienated millions of American voters in his decision.
She continues:
But as we learned with Roe, deep moral questions can't simply be ruled invalid. The concerns about abortion didn't simply evaporate because of a court decision, nor will they when it comes to same-sex marriage. And a court ruling can't change the fact that the unions of two men or two women have inherent differences from unions of a man and a woman
Inherent differences. Well, yes. The gender of the participants. I guess she takes from Michele Bachmann on this.
AND THAT'S ALL SHE HAS TO SAY. Of course, there's a swipe at President Obama because he evolved, and, once again
All children are created equal. Every baby is equally entitled to life. And every baby is equally entitled to the love and care of the man and woman who made him or her. Governments cannot always guarantee these rights. But the least it can do is not attempt to negate them with court rulings.
You wonder. I suppose she doesn't accept the fact that Mark Regnerus's study was politically motivated and it didn't do the work it was supposed to do when the Supreme Court considered DOMA. Besides, some of DOMA is still in force.
What is it? It's really sort of weak. Now that she has a new job (as the Times notes, "She is now a fellow at the American Principles Project") I guess she felt she had to say something. Especially considering that this is Robert George's new project now that NOM has pretty much failed to do what he hoped it would do. The op-ed is Maggie earning her stipend, but I don't think her heart is really in it.
There were comments at the Times website too, and they show the three most recent. 2-1 against, actually, and here's my favorite:
andytek2 at 7:27 AM June 28, 2013
There are all kinds of traditions. Not mixing seeds in the same field or mixing different kinds of cloth is an ancient tradition. Has Maggie Gallagher come out against cotton/poly blends? Has she inveighed against Rotary Club Crab Feeds? Is she stumping for the multiple marriages of David or Solomon?
There are only a few traditions worth holding to. One of the most important for me is the American tradition of equal protection of law. That's all that has happened here. We have extended the rights and responsibilities of marriage to more Americans.
It's so difficult to avoid gloating or
feeling schadenfreude in the aftermath of these decisions, but as long as CNN insists on asking Tony Perkins to comment on everything that Pat Buchanan would have classified as a phase of the culture wars, I think we have to report on these people just to make sure we know what they're doing.
Happy Pride, everyone. As much as they try to derail our celebrations, they can't.