Below is my column in the Hill on the focus on abortion in this election, including the advocacy of an absolute right to abortion by many Democratic candidates. President Joe Biden has voiced such a rule that any abortion decision should be left entirely to women. When media pressed to confirm that the President does not believe that there should be any restrictions, the White House has simply refused to say. Thus, the President continues to campaign on the issue while refusing to answer questions on how he defines the right and any restrictions. It is the same approach that the President took during the last presidential campaign where he simply refused to state his position on court packing until after the election. This is an obviously important and valid issue to campaign on for the midterm elections. Abortion is clearly rallying many to the polls due to the support for Roe. However, candidates of both parties should be clear on the meaning and scope of this right. Indeed, it is interesting to see the level of focus on this right with little substantive discussion on the scope of the right in campaigns.
Here is the column:
“A blessing in disguise.” Those words from a Democratic political consultant refer to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which he described as giving “Democrats a renewed optimism about this year.”
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court returned the question to the citizenry to determine whether there is a right to abortion in any given state. What happened next, though, is a bit curious: Most Democratic politicians, including President Joe Biden, are declaring that a woman alone should make any decision in consultation with her doctor — an absolute interpretation of the right that was not supported in Roe and that runs counter to the view of most voters.
For that reason, when pressed, most candidates are steadfastly avoiding questions on any restrictions, including questions about late-term abortions.
Senate candidate Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) has adopted an absolute position that there should be no limits on a woman’s right to abortion — far beyond anything in Roe or Casey — and has refused to address whether this would mean that a fully formed baby in the ninth month of pregnancy could be aborted.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has been accused by her opponent, Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R), of opposing any restrictions on the right. But when asked by the media, Kelly has replied: “You know, I have never said that.”
The question is what politicians on both sides have to say about specific restrictions and not just about the right.
Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler on Thursday swatted down questions about late-term abortions as being “disingenuous.” Instead, he insisted these are questions involving “painful, emotional and even moral decisions.” They are. But they also involve the very legal questions addressed in past Supreme Court cases, including Gonzales v. Carhart, upholding Congress’ right to ban late-term abortion techniques.
While Kessler focused on whether late-term abortions are “common,” the issue is whether a woman has a constitutional right to late-term abortions. The answer to that question can help understand the meaning of this right and any balancing of interests recognized in cases like Roe. (While states could adopt a more permissive approach under Roe, it stressed that the state had a powerful interest later in a pregnancy to protect the life of the baby.)
Late-term abortions are rare, but they do occur — for a variety of medical and personal reasons. Kessler admits that “in 2021, state records show, about 1.8 percent of 11,580 abortions in Colorado took place after 21 weeks, but just 60 took place at 25 weeks or later.” That is 268 late-term abortions in Colorado in one year, a small percentage but not inconsequential. More importantly, the question is whether a woman has an absolute right to demand such an abortion and, if not, why? Even if statistically rare, the answer is legally significant in understanding the meaning of this right.
The fact is that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to a claimed right to late-term abortions. Indeed, a majority supports limits on abortion after 15 weeks.
Polls show most Americans reject extreme or absolute positions on either side of the abortion issue. Polls also show that 65 percent of Americans would make most abortions illegal in the second trimester, and 80 percent would make most abortions illegal in the third.
The United States is one of only 12 among the world’s 198 countries that allow abortions for any reason after 20 weeks; 47 out of 50 European countries ban abortions at around 15 weeks. Such bans are found in countries like France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Spain.
Rather than address the legal and policy questions of when a right to abortion is limited or extinguished, many politicians repeat the mantra that the decision rests entirely with the woman. There is a preference to discuss anything other than restrictions of the right.
That was evident in a recent interview with Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is running for Georgia’s governorship. Abrams was discussing abortion as an issue in the upcoming election and declared that “there is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”
Abrams voiced a position put forward by Planned Parenthood, which changed its prior position of a “very basic beating heart” at 5 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. Now, it maintains that a “part of the embryo starts to show cardiac activity. It sounds like a heartbeat on an ultrasound, but it’s not a fully-formed heart.”
The point is that people do not have to think of this as a heartbeat but rather as “cardiac activity [that] sounds like a heartbeat.” Although Abrams put it in the more sensational terms of a male conspiracy against women, it is a distinction drawn by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which says that, since the chambers of the heart are not fully formed, it is “clinically inaccurate” to call it a heartbeat.
Recognizing a heartbeat no more concedes abortion as a right than it supports the right. The question is, first, whether such a right exists under state or federal law (as most Americans believe it does) and then whether that right is absolute or diminishes with the term of a pregnancy.
That is why late-term abortions are relevant in this debate if we are to understand a candidate’s view of this right. When pressed, there has been backtracking or evasion on both sides of the abortion issues, including by some Republicans who are taking back earlier, more extreme positions.
In the case of Abrams, she previously rejected limits and said it should be left up to a mother and her doctor, which means legally leaving it up to the mother. Recently, Abrams declared she would support a right “until a physician determines the fetus is viable outside of the body, except in the case of protecting the woman’s life or health.” The question is the scope or meaning of the health exception.
There should be clarity on precisely how far this right extends, even in the relatively rare cases of late abortions. Those extremes not only define the scope but the right itself. They may also determine the support of the public, which is far more moderate than their leaders on this issue.
Whatever the “blessing” of Dobbs proves to be in this election, the absolute, unlimited right to abortion finds little support in either Roe or the public.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanTurley.
WWMSD? Well being the eugenicist that she was, Margaret Sanger would promote policies that encourage minorities to not reproduce and for those that do, promote policies that create an environment where they would kill themselves off. The cherry on top would be to elect minorities to actually implement these policies. Now clearly not all minorities support these policies, so where on the political spectrum are we more likely to find these modern-day eugenicists enacting these policies?
False Claims About European Abortion Laws
In support of calls for a 15-week ban on abortion — with carve-outs merely for highly restrictive exceptions, extending only to situations of physical risk to a patient’s life and pregnancy resulting from rape or incest — U.S. lawmakers referred to six European countries in particular (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Spain) and falsely stated that such a ban in the United States would be similar to policies in these nations.
Although these countries set a first-trimester time frame for elective abortion, they all allow abortion thereafter on other grounds. For example, laws in Denmark and Norway allow abortion for social, economic or family reasons until fetal viability (the definition of which is not specified). German law allows abortion on grounds of serious risk to health throughout pregnancy, explicitly noting that this covers both physical and mental health.
Moreover, unlike in the United States, many of these countries include abortion under national health insurance policies, as do most other Northern and Western European countries, meaning that patients do not have to finance the costs of abortion care themselves.
Even more problematic is the underlying assertion that new bans and restrictions on access to abortion dovetail with a European approach to abortion. This is highly disingenuous.
The fact is that most European countries are moving to expand access to abortion, not limit it. In the majority of countries, European lawmakers have moved steadily forward for decades on the issue of access to abortion. They have removed bans, increased abortion’s legality and taken steps to ensure laws and policies on abortion are guided by public health evidence and clinical best practices.
Edited From:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/22/europe-abortion-laws-vs-usa/
Extra ! Extra Read all about it, European countries do not all have identical abortion laws !
They all have laws more restrictive than blue states.
Wow ! European countries create moral hazard by financing abortions.
We should definitely do that. We should most certainly follow every stupid european policy and end up with the same economic growth that is nearly a full point lower – and a standard of living that is on average about 3/4 of the US. The 4th quintile in the US does as well as the 3rd quintile (middle class) in europe. Americans at every level are better off than their european peers.
But lets rush in an follow the policies that have resulted in that poorer performance.
The Obama era was a period of uniquely poor growth in the US – we STILL did better than Europe.
Biden may be the worst president in US history – our economy is still better than that of Europe.
We have a very strong dollar right now. That makes it much harder to export goods, and much cheaper to import then.
That is because as bad as the US economy is right now, it is less bad than the rest of the world.
The strength and dominance of the US economy means that even when the US screws up economically – the rest of the world gets slammed for our mistakes worse than we do.
Inflation in Europe is a full point higher than the US.
In most of the rest of the world it is even higher still.
One of many reasons is because US exports are costing the world more, While US imports are costing americans less.
The US is one of the worlds largest exporters of food. And if you were not aware US food prices – and therefor global food prices are higher.
So absolutely lets follow all the stupid ideas of europeans that have lead to weak stagnant economies.
The earlier you make choices generally the less costly they are. This is true of abortion.
Birth control is free in the US for those who can not afford it and cheap for the rest of us.
Morning after pills are cheap in comparison to early abortions.
Early abortions are cheap compared to later ones.
Late abortions are both dangerous and expensive.
So by all means lets incentive making decisions later when they are more expensive.
Perhaps I’m in the minority with these thoughts, but over the years it seems Leftists have less and less regard for human life overall, especially for the most innocent among us, life in the womb. Imagine yourself being pulled apart, limb by limb, not knowing (let alone understanding) “why?”; not knowing what you’ve done wrong to deserve such violent treatment and, in the end, loss of your own life. Granted, humans don’t comprehend what sentience entails until long after birth. But put yourself in that situation, being in excruciating, debilitating pain caused by a stranger. You can’t scream, you can’t defend your own life or fight back in any possible way…the only difference is that YOU’VE already been born and CAN scream and fight back to some degree. You’ve never been charged, tried, or convicted of any crime, yet you’re put to death anyway because you’re inconvenient to someone or a ‘reminder’ of crime(s) committed by another human. That’s not to say a woman’s life is not the tiniest bit less important. In fact, girls/women violated by rape/incent should seek swift and punishing justice for the crimes committed against them as soon as possible. However, the life created by those horrific crimes is still literally, ‘innocent’.
(For our elderly and infirm among us – more who are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court – there seems to be little to any empathy on the part of today’s Leftists youth for their natural desire to live. You see it everywhere, young people beating and killing others out of boredom or ‘just for fun’. ‘Survival of the Fittest’ isn’t supposed to be a literal interpretation to take a life just because one has the ability and personal strength to do so.)
So how does a society codify abortion on demand vs. recognizing human life is worth preserving? I don’t think it can be done. The law would need to have a response and solution for every conceivable contingency, which is an obvious impossibility. So maybe write the abortion law and stress that it’s contingent on a case-by-case basis with the goal of saving BOTH lives where possible and practical instead of an all or nothing proposition. Allow the father’s opinion into the discussion and decision as part of that process.
Last thought…how many scientists, doctors, innovators, etc. (even additional future Leftists) have we already lost that could have led to a better tomorrow because of our indifferences toward future human life, today? How we treat our innocents is a reflection on our society as a whole.
I can’t see why this isn’t treated like any other medical procedure, as least as far as “late term” abortions are concerned. I can’t just walk into a cardiac surgeon’s office and demand a quadruple bypass, with perfectly healthy arteries and expect it to be performed. By the same token why would it be reasonable for a woman 6 , 7 months or more along expect to walk into a clinic without some extreme health or life threatening condition and expect a traumatic elective procedure on demand for any reason?
This is from FOX from June, 2022:
President Biden on Friday urged Congress to restore the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade by codifying abortion rights into federal law after the Supreme Court Friday overturned the landmark decision, while urging protesters to remain peaceful and saying “violence is never acceptable.”
The president, from the White House Friday, slammed the high court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected “a woman’s right to choose” and “her right to make intensely personal decisions with her doctor, free from interference of politics.”
Biden said Roe v. Wade “reaffirmed basic principles of equality that women have the power to control their own destiny, and to reinforce the fundamental right of privacy.”
The president also said Roe v. Wade “was a correct decision” on a “complex matter through a careful balance between a woman’s right to choose.”
Wow you found a few coherent sentences from our dementor in cheif.
Regardless, Roe was SCOTUS making law. – good riddance.
You are free to make law – through your legislature or congress – Scotus is not.
How well did democrats listen to Biden’s calls for non-violence ?
There has been more destruction and violence to pro-life clinincs in the past month than claimed damage to the Capital.
There have been several cases of arson, and firebombing. and a couple of murders.
If viewed as a religious matter, then there is Freedom of Religion, yes?
As I understand it, Jews hold this to be entirely a matter for the mother, at least until birth.
The old testament treats the killing of a pregnancy as a crime after quickening.
If you are not familiar with various religions – do not comment on them.
Here is a better reference on Judiasm and abortion.
While Jews do not share some of the religious values that christians do regarding abortion,
The religion does not condone all abortions. And feticide is generally a violation of jewish law.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/abortion-in-jewish-thought/
St. Mary was Jewish.
What did her rabbi teach her about abortion?
I stumped a murderer the other day, she said that abortion is a right that is in the US constitution.
I said, ‘are you telling me that the founding fathers wanted woman to have the right to dismember a viable child in the womb/or out, and sell it’s parts for profit? Really?’
It is not just the act of abortion that is the problem, it is all the Mengele stuff they are doing with the parts. What is next? Mengele experiments on children birthed but not wanted? Where does it end? I bet somewhere they are already doing this, like China for one. Any bets on if Fauci would fund that also?
A woman has the right to use her body as she sees fit that right is hers and hers alone. However due to her ability to have children she gives up that right when she conceives a new person within her at least for the time it takes to birth that new person. Of course she may elect to give up that new person to someone else if she so desires. With the many methods of controlling pregnancy available today there is no reason for an unwanted pregnancy. Carelessness is no excuse for terminating someone else’s life. I may have the right and ability to shoot a gun, but that right and ability does not allow me to shoot and kill someone even if the shot was an accidental.
No one but a brainwashed idiot wants to murder innocent babies. Anyone that is for abortion is a barbaric fool. And no, people are not for abortion, and it was never a damned right, just more riling from Bandits on Robes. God is about to show out via His wrath of the wicked.
For those who think abortion should be left entirely up to pregnant women, they should note that many women feel pressured by their families, or the baby’s father, to have an abortion. Yet it’s the woman who has to live with the after math, and frequent mental health consequences. Pro Choice advocates drive a lot of pressure for women to get abortions. Girls are taught from the time they’re teenagers that it’s “just a ball of cells”, and that unplanned pregnancies should just be aborted. They fight to prevent abortion providers from explaining gestational stages, or providing an ultrasound. Women who have abortions, only later to discover their baby had fingers, toes, and sucked their thumb, can feel lied to. They fight to prevent counseling on how to keep a baby, or give him or her up for adoption. Only one avenue is acceptable, the abortion path.
Pro Life advocates who picket are not going to change the minds of girls who are scared. But the mobile clinics they use to offer ultrasounds and advice do.
So, now we know that a 6-week old fetus is not fully-formed.
Abortion results often in the sale and distribution of the aborted’s body parts, organs, and tissues.
The CCP is condemned for organ harvesting from political and religious prisoners. The attacks against Albinos that result in their body parts being distributed and sold are condemned.
Yet the pro-Abortion champions are supporting similar behavior and proclaim they are champions of human rights and freedom.
There appears to be a moral disconnect or just a bloody excuse for democidal eugenics.
The Supreme Court ruling on ROE was correct as it was not in the Constitution and they just sent it back to the states. The Democrats are pushing it as Abortion no longer exists in this country but that is not true. Each state is writing their own rules on Abortion. Our country was designed by the Founders to be less Federal and leave more in States hands, but after the Civil War that changed. It is time for the Federal to shrink.
You’re right. What Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decided was that abortion is not a Constitutional right at all, if I understand it right, and that Roe v. Wade was in error. Contra almost all Democrat politicians and hysterical media drones, it did not outlaw abortions.
That said, trying to talk common sense to Democrats six weeks before a threatening national elections is a pointless waste of time.
Dobbs was correct to pitch Roe.
But there is an actual constitutional right to control of your own body that does have antecednets in the colonial era and english law.
But that does not produce results that either the left or the right will be happy with.
It assures a woman that she has the right to remove a fetus from her body – at anytime through birth.
But it does nto give her the right to kill it.
If a woman had a 3rd trimester abortion and the fetus lived the woman could end up paying child support for foster care – just as men do today.
Conversely though the right could make all kinds of laws trying to save the life of the fetus it could NOT stop its removal.
But most importantly we could once and for all wipe Buck V. Bell off the books and mask mandates, and vaccine mandates and alot of the bad public health policy of Covid.
Dobbs. continues the rejection of the right to bodily autonomy.
I fully agree. I have said repeatedly that SCOTUS should not have found abortion to be a right. But it should have found control of your own body to be a right. The results of that would be much like Casey – but with a legal and constitutional foundation.
But finding a meaningful right to control of your own body would destroy myriads of court decisions the left loves.
Dobbs</i. was correct in its conclusion that the right tio an abortion can not satisfy the Glucksberg test.
Here was a passage that I find compelling.
Democrats needs more alien asylum seeker babies. Don’t touch them. Get some decent food like hot Texas Chile. Alien asylum seeker style.
As a Libertarian, I would absolutely leave the decision up to the woman and her doctors. The state cannot know the circumstances under which an abortion is chosen.
I do see it as life begins at conception, due to the fact that the first cell’s DNA is that of a unique individual. However, the question to me is one of rights – the woman’s right to her own body vs. the fetus’ right to grow into a viable human. I think it’s clear cut that the woman has the right to her own body above all else, whether it be to give birth or not, or to accept a vaccination. It’s her body, period.
Taking of life is not necessarily murder under the laws. The cops can shoot and kill an armed suspect (sometimes unarmed). Soldiers kill enemy soldiers (and yes, a woman might see the fetus as an enemy invading her body). The state executes murderers after found guilty of heinous crimes. A person can shoot a home invader or even a person outside the home if he feels he or someone else nearby is threatened with bodily harm or worse (and yes, a woman can easily see the fetus as threatening her with bodily harm).
Though it is not cut and dry. At some point, it seems like there is a consent by the woman to carry the fetus to term. As Professor Turley says, 15 weeks seems to be that point. I wouldn’t argue.
That said there is also a point where the fetus is such a threat to itself or the woman that a later term abortion makes sense, and I would be fine with that. But given the choice, I would be happier with Roe’s guidelines (or some improvement on those). After all, this is the USA, not Germany or France, otherwise we’d be colonies or part of those countries. We have a unique slant on Liberty that makes this country great, including the 2nd amendment.
The choice to have an abortion has to be a terrible one for any woman. It’s not used as contraception, but to reverse a mistake that would ruin the life of the woman and perhaps the child. I trust the doctors to know if the abortion makes sense and use their judgement. They have the patient/woman in front of them. Abortion is a painful kind of surgery. It’s not a trivial thing, though it’s been done plenty of times that it’s basically quite safe. I really don’t see how a doctor or clinic would perform an abortion on a woman after 15 weeks or 1st trimester, unless there was better reason than a woman’s choice. I would like to think that the horrific kind of procedure that a woman would go through much later in a pregnancy would be done without exceptionally good reason.
The state cannot know the circumstances under which an
abortionAbusive Sexual Contact is chosen.At one time, the Feds did not care what the “circumstances” were for committing a federal crime. That was before Merrick Garland became Attorney General, and now anything goes. Such is the price we pay for a corrupt Federal government, thanks to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, et al
https://clarifacts.com/federal-crimes-list/
list of US Federal Crimes:
Abusive Sexual Contact
Advocating Overthrow of Government
Aggravated Assault/Battery
Aggravated Identity Theft
Aggravated Sexual Abuse
Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft
Airplane Hijacking
Anti-racketeering
Antitrust
Armed Robbery
Arson
Assassination
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Assaulting or Killing Federal Officer
Assisting or Instigating Escape
Attempt to commit Murder/Manslaughter
Bank Burglary
Bankruptcy Fraud/Embezzlement
Bank Larceny
Bank Robbery
Blackmail
Bombing Matters
Bond Default
Breaking and/or Entering Carrier Facilities
Bribery Crimes
Certification of Checks (Fraud)
Child Abuse
Child Exploitation
Child Pornography
Civil Action to Restrain Harassment of a Victim or Witness
Coercion
Commodities Price Fixing
Computer Crime
Concealing Escaped Prisoner
Concealing Person from Arrest
Concealment of Assets
Conspiracy (in matters under FBI jurisdiction)
Conspiracy to Impede or Injure an Officer
Contempt of Court
Continuing Criminal Enterprise
Conveying False Information
Copyright Matters
Counterfeiting
Counterintelligence Crimes
Credit/Debit Card Fraud
Crime Aboard Aircraft
Crimes on Government Reservations
Crimes on Indian Reservations
Criminal Contempt of Court
Criminal Forfeiture
Criminal Infringement of a Copyright
Cyber Crimes
Damage to Religious Property
Delivery to Consignee
Demands Against the U.S.
Destruction of Aircraft or Motor Vehicles Used in Foreign Commerce
Destruction of an Energy Facility
Destruction of Property to Prevent Seizure
Destruction of Records in Federal Investigations and Bankruptcy
Destruction of Corporate Audit Records
Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials
Detention of Armed Vessel
Disclosure of Confidential Information
Domestic Security
Domestic Terrorism
Domestic Violence
Drive-by Shooting
Drug Abuse Violations
Drug Smuggling
Drug Trafficking
DUI/DWI on Federal Property
Economic Espionage
Election Law Crimes
Embezzlement
Embezzlement Against Estate
Entering Train to Commit Crime
Enlistment to Serve Against the U.S.
Environmental Scheme Crimes
Escaping Custody/Escaped Federal Prisoners
Examiner Performing Other Services
Exportation of Drugs
Extortion
Failure to Appear on Felony Offense
Failure to Pay Legal Child Support Obligations
False Bail
False Pretenses
False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters
Falsely Claiming Citizenship
False Declarations before Grand Jury or Court
False Entries in Records of Interstate Carriers
False Information and Hoaxes
False Statement to Obtain Unemployment Compensation
Federal Aviation Act
Federal Civil Rights Violations (hate crimes, police misconduct)
Female Genital Mutilation
Financial Transactions with Foreign Government
First Degree Murder
Flight to Avoid Prosecution or Giving Testimony
Forced Labor
Forcible Rape
Forgery
Fraud Activity in Connection with Electronic Mail
Fraud Against the Government
Genocide
Hacking Crimes
Harboring Terrorists
Harming Animals Used in Law Enforcement
Hate Crime Acts
Homicide
Hostage Taking
Identity Theft
Illegal Possession of Firearms
Immigration Offenses
Impersonator Making Arrest or Search
Importation of Drugs
Influencing Juror by Writing
Injuring Officer
Insider Trading Crimes
Insurance Fraud
Interference with the Operation of a Satellite
International Parental Kidnapping
International Terrorism
Interstate Domestic Violence
Interstate Violation of Protection Order
Larceny
Lobbying with Appropriated Moneys
Mailing Threatening Communications
Major Fraud Against the U.S.
Manslaughter
Medical/Health Care Fraud
Missile Systems Designed to Destroy Aircraft
Misuse of Passport
Misuse of Visas, Permits, or Other Documents
Molestation
Money Laundering
Motor Vehicle Theft
Murder by a Federal Prisoner
Murder Committed During Drug-related Drive-by shooting
Murder Committed in Federal Government Facility
Narcotics Violations
Obstructing Examination of Financial Institution
Obstruction of Court Orders
Obstruction of Federal audit
Obstruction of Justice
Obstruction of Criminal Investigations
Officer Failing to Make Reports
Partial Birth Abortion
Penalties for Neglect or Refusal to Answer Subpoena
Peonage
Perjury
Picketing or Parading
Pirating
Possession by Restricted Persons
Possession of False Papers to Defraud the U.S.
Possession of Narcotics
Possession of Child Pornography
Private Correspondence with Foreign Government
Probation Violation
Product Tampering
Prohibition of Illegal Gambling Businesses
Prostitution
Protection of Foreign Officials
Public Corruption Crimes
Racketeering
Radiological Dispersal Devices
Ransom Money
Rape
Receiving the Proceeds of Extortion
Recording or Listening to Grand or Petit Juries While Deliberating
Reentry of an Alien Removed on National Security Grounds
Registration of Certain Organizations
Reproduction of Citizenship Papers
Resistance to Extradition Agent
Rescue of Seized Property
Retaliating Against a Federal Judge by False Claim or Slander of Title
Retaliating Against a Witness, Victim, or an Informant
Robbery
Robberies and Burglaries Involving Controlled Substances
Sabotage
Sale of Citizenship Papers
Sale of Stolen Vehicles
Searches Without Warrant
Second Degree Murder
Serial Murders
Sexual Abuse
Sexual Abuse of a Minor
Sexual Assault
Sexual Battery
Sexual Conduct with a Minor
Sexual Exploitation
Sex Trafficking
Shoplifting
Smuggling
Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
Stalking (In Violation of Restraining Order)
Stolen Property; Buying, Receiving, or Possessing
Subornation of Perjury
Suits Against Government Officials
Tampering with a Witness, Victim, or Informant
Tampering with Consumer Products
Tampering with Vessels
Theft of Trade Secrets
Torture
Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods or Services
Transmission of Wagering Information (Gambling)
Transportation into State Prohibiting Sale
Transportation of Slaves from U.S.
Transportation of Stolen Vehicles
Transportation of Terrorists
Trespassing
Treason
Unauthorized Removal of Classified Documents
Use of Fire or Explosives to Destroy Property
Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Vandalism
Video Voyeurism
Violation of Prohibitions Governing Atomic Weapons
Violence at International airports
Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity
Willful Wrecking of a Train Resulting in Death
Wire Fraud
“As a Libertarian, I would absolutely leave the decision up to the woman and her doctors. ”
*****************************
As a libertarian you should leave it up to the lifef orm with the most skin in the game – the male or female fetus when viable. But it seems your libertarian principles only extend to women who’ve been born.
Let me ask you something – would you rather leave this decision to the mother, or delegate it to the government?
Gregg:
“Let me ask you something – would you rather leave this decision to the mother, or delegate it to the government?”
*****************************
Which decision? The one to decide whether to protect innocent life of the one to decide the abortion? And which mother? Ma Barker?
The difference matters. It’s why we have laws against filicide on the books. And as trite as it may at first appear, its why we have animal cruety statutes, too. Mothers overwhelmingly have their kid’s interests as heart but there are a few evil ones who don’t. The state has the prerogative under the social contract to protect the innocent who cannot protect themselves. If we can protect snail darters, redwood trees and pit bulls from cruelty by their owners, then why — logically or legally – can’t we protect viable fetuses in the womb from the same? That’s the question.
Six weeks to baby… fetus… fetal-American (i.e. 1/2 reduction)… human of pink (i.e. diversity bloc) meets granny legally in state, if not in process.
Roe’s regrets. Ruth’s remorse. Progressives liberals’ wicked solution to a hard problem: keep women affordable, available, and taxable, and the “burdens” of evidence aborted, cannibalized, and sequestered in darkness. Deja vu.
Kamala is only some cardiac activity away from the presidency.
I hate to tell you, but Kamala will be POTUS, it was the only way she would run with Brandon. Even if it’s only for 1 week or one day, she will be POTUS barring she steps down or is Clintoned. They will not pass up the glass ceiling of the first woman POTUS being a Democrat.
RE:”They will not pass up the glass ceiling of the first woman POTUS being a Democrat..” It’s unfortunate. She was an ‘also ran’ out of the gate, withdrawing before the primaries for lack of support Realizing your observation would validate my longstanding contention that the only way a woman of color was going to enter the Oval Office as POTUS is through affirmative action. So much for progress.
One of the reasons why late term abortions are rare, is that there were restrictions upon them. As the tragic case of Kermit Gosnell showed, there actually is a market of women pregnant in their third trimester who would pay to have that baby aborted. Some would argue that another driver of late term abortions is the discovery of fetal abnormality. I agree, however, again, those were permitted under medical reasons. Once there are no more restrictions, then I think there will be more late term abortions. Democrats are on record trying to pass legislation that would also allow all abortion techniques. This would include the gruesome partial birth abortion.
Democrats have nothing else to run on. What are they going to tout as an accomplishment? Defunding police and the commensurate increase in violent crime? Making shoplifting basically legal, by raising the felony threshold, weakening the police force, and simply not responding? Mobs are now ransacking stores until one by one, they close, leaving blight and a lack of resources. Are Democrats going to run on the economy, with the recession? How about cost of living? They drove fuel prices through the roof, and only managed to bring it down a bit by reneging on their promise to help Europe weather Russian oil sanctions. Now the UK is facing home energy increases of 80% this weekend, with businesses grimly facing higher. Are they going to run on the rampant illegal immigration, of which about 50 people so panicked Martha’s Vineyard? Education, where parents are deemed terrorists if they object to schools teaching white kids to hate themselves, black kids that their victims, and that kids can switch genders without the school telling Mom and Dad? How about the military, where the Air Force now has excised the terms “Mom” and “Dad” entirely? Are they going to run on the Covid vaccine mandates, even though the vaccine is now so out of date that it neither prevents infection nor transmission? Are they going to brag about letting millions of mostly unvaccinated and often sick illegal immigrants in, while proudly barring Novac Djokovic from playing in the US Open because he’s not vaccinated with an out-of-date vaccine? Are they going to campaign on Kamala Harris, cackling while stringing totally unrelated words together? “The time is now to do what we have been doing, and we will continue to do.” Or how about Joe Biden, who’s so addled he’ll read the Teleprompter instructions?
Democrat policy failures have led to more people murdered, and more people poorer.
All they have is the abortion issue. Of COURSE the Democrats are not going to admit that most Americans support restrictions after 15 weeks, while Democrats support no restrictions, neither of which was allowed under Roe v Wade. All they’re going to focus on is that most Americans supported Roe v Wade, without ever delving deeper into the fact that most Americans are also totally uninformed about Roe v Wade.
FA[R]CE = Freedom of Abortion, Reproduction, and Clinical Evisceration Act. Deja vu.
Karen, well stated.
Karen S: your depth of your delusional discipleship literally makes my jaw drop: what do Democrats have to run on? Are you joking? They got the largest infrastructure bill in US history passed. COVID relief was passed, which helped get schools, businesses and restaurants open again, and financial assistance helped to ease the burden due to the Trump pandemic and Trump recession. They passed a bill to give relief to veterans injured by burn pits and to improve Veterans’ health benefits. Unemployment is at record lows. We are helping Ukraine defeat Russia. Relations with our EU and NATO allies are healed and Finland and Sweden have voted to join NATO. If Trump could have cheated his way into office a second time, the US would not be part of NATO, which would have emboldened Putin even more than Trump’s narcissism, stupidity and weakness, all of which caused Putin to believe that America couldn’t pull together enough multi-national support to oppose his efforts to take over Ukraine. That flopped badly because he underestimated Joe Biden. America is back to work and back to school. That’s just a few of their accomplishments despite Republicans doing everything possible to prevent them from carrying out the will of the voters who put them in office.
Democrats did NOT cause the high fuel prices. Stop lying about that. High fuel prices are due to several causes, the first being the Trump recession caused by his lack of leadership. Because schools closed, buses weren’t running. Because businesses either shut down or people starting working from home, they weren’t driving. They weren’t taking vacations, either, because it wasn’t safe. We ended up with a glut of fuel, which artificially depressed prices, so refining capacity was cut back and some refineries were closed. It’s not fair to compare fuel prices now with where they were when the price was artificially low. Then, when Biden turned things around, people started driving again and taking vacations, but the supply of fuel has lagged behind and not all refineries have reopened. Higher demand with low supply causes the price to go up. And then, there’s Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, because NATO allies stopped buying Russian oil, so there’s even greater demand.
A better question is: what do Republicans have to run on? Taking away Social Security, Medicare and Veteran’s benefits and requiring renewal of these programs every 5 years? How about a total ban on abortion, after lying about being in support of states regulating it? These are literally two of their positions. Then there’s Trump’s failures of leadership: a pandemic out of control with new daily records of deaths and infections, no groundwork for vaccine storage, distribution or administration, alienation of our EU and NATO allies, praise of Putin and siding against our own American intelligence, supply chain shortages due to Trump tariffs on China, an insurrection that Republicans still refuse to condemn, their party leader stealing TS/SCI papers, lying about it, and forcing the DOJ to compel their return, and then fundraising over the crisis he caused. Because he’s an undeclared candidate, he’s using the money to live on and pay his legal bills and for Melania’s designer clothes. Oh, I left out the insurrection that some Republcans were directly involved with and that all but 2 refuse to condemn.
You’ve been corrected over and over again about Democrats favoring “defunding the police”. That’s just a lie. Stop lying. Democrats do NOT support hoodlums ransacking stores, in contradistinction to Republicans who still won’t speak out against Trump inciting the insurrection because he lacks the integrity to accept the fact that most American voters rejected him. CRT is not being taught in grade schools, and CRT does not teach that white children should hate themselves, either. And, children don’t just “change their gender without telling Mom and Dad”. These are two examples of the culture war BS you fell for, Karen S. People with gender dysphoria KNOW they weren’t born with the right set of genitals from an early age. This isn’t some whim and chldren cannot consent to hormone therapy or surgery on their own, either.
Democrats do NOT support either open borders or unrestricted migration. Our laws allow people to present themselves at the border and request asylum. If you don’t like this law, then suggest something better. Republicans don’t have a solution, either, but are politicizing about it and lying about the US having “open borders” Democrats can’t control how many people come to the border. They are being processed according to law. Biden and Obama both deported more aliens than Trump ever did.
Your claim that “Democrat policies” have caused more people to die and become poorer is just stunning. Trump’s incompetence and lying about the pandemic caused 130,000 unnecessary American deaths according to the CDC. Trump’s deference to Putin over his own government and his insults to EU and NATO countries emboldened Putin to believe that he could get away with invading Ukraine. What “Democrat policies” caused people to die? And, the vaccines we have now are better than not being vaccinated at all because they are proven to prevent serious illness and death. Those are definite benefits. And, where do you get off pronouncing that most Americans don’t know about Roe v. Wade? They do.
RE:”A better question is: what do Republicans have to run on? ” Well put. Yet patience is a virtue. In due course we shall learn if your crystal ball was indeed clear and the veracity of your prognostications confirmed.
This is a joke, right?
Brandon reversed everything Trump did for the most part in the first week he was illegitimized as POTUS.
Brandon owns everything and he did it in less than 1 year, and we will feel his actions for a decade to come. Even little red lying hood said if Brandons record is on the ballot they will lose big.
Who is delusional now? LOL
Look at what they do, not what they say. And the results of what they do are obvious, except to Natacha.
Nutacha – you do not live in the real world.
One of the things that Biden assured by reversing nearly ever Trump policy as quickly as possible,
Was complete and total responsibility for everything.
Biden did not inherit a recession. That is complete idiocy.
The current recession is being deliberately caused by the Fed. They started in early summer of 2022, not in 2020,
They are causing a recession – and possibly a bad one, because that is the only effective means to reign in inflation.
And inflation is a never ending Hell. Erodigan and Turkey decided to take the oposite approach tot he US Fed, and they have a disaster.
inflation in Turkey has gone from 14% to 80% in a year, with no end in site. 80% inflation frequently results in regime change or totalitarianism.
When Biden was elected I warned Republicans about being over confident in mid terms. Trump left Biden a country that was improving in every possible way.
Most people are not idiots – you can not blame inflation or recession or Ukraine on Trump and get away with it.
Biden has made a mess of things in 22 months, with no positive outlook.
Here is a policy recomendation for republicans from the most eminent economist of all times.
“Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things. All governments which thwart this natural course, which force things into another channel, or which endeavour to arrest the progress of society at a particular point, are unnatural, and to support themselves are obliged to be oppressive and tyrannical.”
Adam Smith
The policy that Republicans should offer right now is simple. To do everything possible to reverse what Biden has done. to thwart what he is trying to do. amd to get back to the prosperity that comes when government DOES NOTHING.
We’ve gotten past the hysterical responses of the feminists of old.
Many more people have paid attention to the science and the reality of what abortion is has penetrated the psyci of the vast majority.
https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/23-weeks-pregnant
https://www.liveaction.org/news/15-week-old-human-being-womb/