I was thinking about Maryland during Prohibition and how this history may be precedent for what would happen were there to be a national abortion ban.
Maryland has two official nicknames: The Old Line State from the state regiment which heroically fought the British on Long Island in 1776 and The Free State, the latter nickname dating to Prohibition.
Maryland was the only state of then 48 not to enact a state version of the Volstead Act. Governor Albert Ritchie told the Feds they were free to enforce the federal Prohibition law, but the police and authorities in Maryland, while they would not interfere, would also do nothing to assist them.
Store fronts and restaurants in Baltimore and elsewhere in Maryland had inside their plate glass windows a red electric crab, which told passersby there was booze inside, either for takeout or at a speakeasy inside. The local police were more than aware of what the red crab meant but did not interfere; many were no doubt customers. After all, booze remained legal under Maryland law. There were too many businesses sporting red crabs in their windows for the Feds to do anything other than to concentrate on busting big time distributors, many connected to organized crime.
So I wonder if doctors in Blue free states could continue to quietly perform abortions notwithstanding a federal ban. States legalizing marijuana while it remains a crime under federal law may be a precedent.
And this fall Maryland voters will vote on whether to amend our state constitution to guarantee the right to reproductive health care, including abortions. It’s expected to pass overwhelmingly.