Rape And Incest

Reality: Most Anti Abortion States Were Slave States Before 1865!

It is sad but not at all surprising that when one looks at the map of states that have declared war on women’s rights, and specifically on abortion rights, all but three such states are from the “Old South”, the “Confederate South”, and the “Border South” of the American Civil War period!

The states that went to war to continue the ugly institution of slavery now are “enslaving” women and denying them the right to control their own reproductive rights, forcing even those who are victims of rape or incest, or whose lives are endangered, to follow through on their pregnancy and deny them medical and hospital services!

This is done in the name of “religious” indoctrination which should NOT be a factor in human rights in America!

But remember, many elements of organized Christianity endorsed and supported slavery all the way through the Civil War, and also backed Jim Crow segregation for the next hundred years, and even resisted the Civil Rights Movement, and stealthily supported the Ku Klux Klan in many cases!

Looking at the map, and seeing only Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina not restricting abortion rights, but all other “Old South” states and border states Kentucky and Missouri in that infamous group of denying human rights, along with Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Idaho, makes one ready to do everything possible to restore women’s rights to determine their own futures!

Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Race Crucial For Future Of Women’s Rights

Pennsylvania is the 5th largest state in population, and will have 19 Electoral votes in the Presidential Election of 2024.

It is the most crucial “battleground” state due to its population and electoral votes, and already was the center of controversy in the Presidential Election of 2020, due to challenges by Donald Trump and his seditionists!

So the gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania between present Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano is crucial, as Mastriano is a right wing Christian extremist, who wants to ban all abortions in the state, including rape, incest and life of the mother.

Mastriano has also indicated that he would appoint a state Secretary of State who would refuse to accept the popular vote in the Presidential Election of 2024 and beyond, creating a constitutional crisis whereby the people’s vote would be thrown out by a power cabal promoting authoritarianism and Fascism!

Josh Shapiro has been an exceptional State Attorney General, and it is essential that he become Governor to keep the “Keystone State” on the proper path of constitutional government, and preservation of women’s rights, including abortion rights!

Already, nine Pennsylvania Republicans, including former Congressman Charlie Dent; a former State Supreme Court Justice; a former State House Speaker; and a former Lieutenant Governor, along with others, have endorsed Josh Shapiro.

The fact that Mastriano was at the January 6 Capitol Insurrection, and has refused to testify, is another warning sign of how dangerous he is!

First Time Ever A Constitutional Right Granted Has Been Taken Away: Abortion Rights!

This has been a very emotional, disturbing 24 hours, causing the rise in blood pressure in millions of Americans!

The Supreme Court has taken away abortion rights after 49 years, as the right wing extremists on the Court, appointed by Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump, both of whom lost the popular vote in Presidential elections, have decided women should not control their own bodies.

This has never happened before, to take away a right granted, and to say that abortion is not in the Constitution, is a ridiculous argument! For instance, political parties, Cabinet members, end of African American slavery, rights to vote for women and racial minorities, Social Security, Medicare, and a massive number of other activities and basic functions of government, all came AFTER the writing of the Constitution 235 years ago! Originalism is preposterous in running a goverment centuries later!

The Trump appointed Justices lied in their confirmation hearings when they said Roe V. Wade was established law, as if it was, there is no justification for making women bear children, especially those who have been victims of rape or incest, or where life and well being of the mother is at stake!

The Court Justices lying are grounds for their impeachment and removal, as they tricked Senators who voted for them, including Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Susan Collins of Maine!

To Deny Rape, Incest, Life Of Mother As Abortion Exceptions Is A Crime!

Many people are anti abortion for religious reasons, but for the anti abortion movement to believe that there should be no exceptions, —not rape—not incest—not life of the mother—is beyond the pale, no matter what else anyone thinks about abortion!

This author and blogger prefers fewer abortions, but to insist on no exceptions, and for a young girl being forced to have a pregnancy go to term, is simply horrendous!

There is no responsibility placed on the male that brought about the pregnancy, often unintended, or occurring by violence!

And there will always be wealthy women who gain abortions, so this also becomes an issue impoverishing the poor and minority women ever more, adding to their victimization!

The best answer is fewer abortions, but ultimately, it IS a woman’s right to control of her own body, and religion is in the eyes of the beholder, and separation of church and state is a basic tenet of American democracy, which must be reasserted!

The Bush Presidencies Gave Us The Two Worst Supreme Court Justices: Thomas And Alito!

The legacy of George H. W. Bush, and his son George W. Bush, gave us, as all Presidencies do, positives and negatives in the long run of history.

But it is now clear that each of the Bushes gave the nation the two worse Supreme Court Justices in modern American history, both with an extremely narrowminded and vicious streak!

This is referring to the senior Bush appointment of Clarence Thomas in 1991, and to the junior Bush appointment of Samuel Alito in 2006.

Both Justices are so called “originalists’, who believe the Constitution must be understood in 1787 perspective, and do not accept the idea that 235 years have passed, and the situation of many groups, including the issues of gender, race, and sexuality, along with the concept of privacy, needs to be updated.

So we are on the cusp of a likely Supreme Court decision denying every woman the right to control her own body, whether a pregnancy comes about by rape or incest, as well as the danger to the life of the mother!

It also seems an opening not only to outlaw all abortions, but make it a criminal act of the mother and the doctor and hospital staff, and does not consider the effects on all women, whether pregnant or not.

Only a heartless autocrat with hate and vindictiveness in his or her heart would wish to impose tight government regulation on the private lives of women, or really, even men, who are affected by the imposition of a Judicial dictatorship, taking away a right guaranteed for 50 years, an unheard of reversal!

So the Bushes will go down in history in a very negative fashion for, whether realizing it or not, imposing religious views and personal vendettas of Supreme Court Justices they appointed on more than half of the population!

Supreme Court On Mission To Take Away Basic Civil Rights

The most extremist Supreme Court since the late 1920s and early 1930s is on a misssion to take away basic civil rights!

Taking away a basic right for women to determine their own future regarding pregnancy is wiping away 50 years of reproductive freedom, and there are no exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother, absolute insanity!

And the fear is that the right to contraception for couples; the right for gay marriage; and even the acceptance of gay entitlement to privacy in their own lives–all are in question with this right wing extremist Supreme Court!

Some observers even wonder if the acceptance of interracial marriage might be under challenge.

This right wing radical attack on basic human rights must be faced and fought in every way possible!

Roe v Wade Under Attack On Supreme Court With Case Heard On Wednesday

Nearly half a century has passed since the Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade on January 22, 1973.

Women have had the right to determine their own future, and yet, now, the majority of the Supreme Court are Republican and conservative appointments, and could end abortion rights completely in at least 12 states.

This would include making women criminals if they had an illegal abortion, or had even a miscarriage, and would not allow even for rape or incest or life of the mother.

The thought that this could happen in the 21st century in a nation supposedly advanced like the United States’ reputation is shocking and rprehensible, and will harm poor and minority women the most, as wealthy white women will always be able to fly out of states that ban abortion and accomplish their goals of ending unwanted pregnancies safely!

The concern over the unborn fetus ends when a child is born, as the same Republican and conservative forces have no concern about the life of poor women and their newborn babies!

There is hope that possibly one or more of the six Republican justices–Chief Justice John Roberts, likely, and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was backed by Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine for the Court membership, when he said he believed Roe V Wade was settled law–will save basic abortion rights, but the future is uncertain!

Also, Amy Coney Barrett, new to the Court, could surprise, but seen as highly unlikely!

Neil Gorsuch seems unlikely, also, to leave Roe V Wade alone, and as far as Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both clearly are a “lost cause”, sadly!

The Supreme Court Reputation Has Been Seriously Tarnished, No Longer Seen As Representing Moderation!

The John Roberts Supreme Court reputation has been seriously tarnished, no longer seen as representing moderation!

By deciding to go along with an extremist Texas abortion law, in a one paragraph middle of the night statement, which includes no exceptions for rape or incest, and allowing private citizens to sue anyone engaged in promoting abortion, the Court has done one of the worst ever actions, which will be compared to such other issues as Dred Scott V Sandford (1857) and Plessy V Ferguson (1896), and a small group of other reprehensible decisions!

Chief Justice Roberts himself recognized how terrible this 5-4 decision was, so despite earlier personal expressions of being anti abortion, he joined the three liberals on the Court in opposition.

Roberts knows his own historical reputation has been permanently damaged, as the Court has become dangerously radical right wing extremist, with the three reprehensible appointments by Donald Trump showing their true colors!

The fact that the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett switched the Court balance from what it was under the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg right before the Presidential Election of 2020 is reprehensible!

But also, the fact that Brett Kavanaugh was the second Court Justice to face accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct, along with Clarence Thomas three decades ago, and now they decided the private lives of women, is totally infuriating!

And the fact that Neil Gorsuch gained an appointment after a full year of no replacement of Antonin Scalia, and that Merrick Garland was denied even a hearing as his replacement, makes all three of Donald Trump’s Court appointments questionable and wanting!

It is further proof that the Supreme Court has lost whatever aura it had, as a fair, reasonable body!

To reverse a decision of nearly 50 years, when the tradition of the Court is to uphold legal precedent normally, and that it has such a dramatic effect on more than half the population, is beyond the pale!

If Hillary Clinton had won the Presidential Election of 2016, which this author and blogger and tens of millions of Americans think is the truth, the Supreme Court today would not be in the crisis atmosphere it is in!

It requires an attempt to add members to the Court, because otherwise, the Court is on a tear to the promotion of Fascism clear and simple, and that cannot be allowed to move forward toward ultimate destruction of the Constitution and rule of law!

The idea that two Presidents, George W. Bush and Donald Trump,who lost the popular vote, could add two and three members to the Court respectively, which otherwise would have been appointees of Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, is simply outrageous and unacceptable for the long haul!

It will permanently destroy the reputation of a very evil man, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who brought about this travesty!

When one thinks back to the mid and late 1970s, we actually had a 7-2 Republican Court by party affiliation, but it included moderate Republicans, which included statesmen, including William Brennan, Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, and Chief Justice Warren Burger!

So action must be taken to expand the Court, as we are in a constitutional crisis that will only get worse if no action is taken!