One of our Reverse Q&A videographers, Reid Nicewonder, facilitates this conversation around the claim, “Abortion should be legal.” Reid is an experienced practitioner of Street Epistemology and is the president of Street Epistemology International.
If you take the emotion out of it and look at why we are here you can see the other side of the constitutional question. I see a lot of voices questioning the court's legitimacy based on this decision but what about the legitimacy of state legislatures?
A state legislative body derives their legitimacy from elections. How many state laws have been challenged by high powered attorneys representing special interest groups since Roe was decided? How many times should federal courts legislate one issue from the bench and why would any abortion rights advocate desire that right to hang in the balance of the judicial philosophies of 9 unelected members of the judiciary? We know why the politicians in Washington DC like it this way. They can continue to whip up their base on both sides and fundraise off the issue leaving no motivation to pass federal laws. This leaves no appetite for thoughtful debate.
As a pro-choice center right woman, my opinion is this. Abortion activists overplayed their hand too many times. They weaponized the federal courts to grab power from democratically elected legislators. The Dobbs case was a result of a bill passed that prohibited abortion after 15 weeks gestational age with the exception of medical emergency or fetal abnormality. It lost every appeal all the way to SCOTUS.
Where would we be today if pro-choice activists showed some restraint? There would be some states that had gestational limits on abortion. There would also be some states that required parental notification for a minor seeking an abortion. Some more conservative states would require a waiting period of a couple days and/or an ultrasound. Some wanted to provide counseling. All these things were automatically challenged in federal court. We can all empathize with the scared teenager, the drug addict who felt unfit, the victim of a horrible crime, and many other circumstances that led to the choice to terminate your pregnancy. It was a gross error in judgement to believe that empathy would transcend into supporting "Shout your abortion!" and other cool kid slogans. Bragging about how many abortions one has had. Glorifying abortion up until the moment of birth. Rendering people terrified to say they believed in any restriction. Labeling every abortion as reproductive healthcare when 92% of abortions are elective. This was a backlash and progressives need to own their participation in the outcome.
I think some pro-life people are over-playing their hands at the moment too. This is not the time, if there ever is a time, to propose travel restrictions on pregnant women, for instance.
If that is true, it is unconstitutional under the privilege and immunities clause and the commerce clause. That actually came up during covid when states with tighter restrictions floated banning travel from open states. People should really be demanding that the president end his emergency declaration though. All these things get muddy under emergency powers. Bush put them on steroids and Biden refuses to end them. They are being renewed July 15.
Third trimester abortion is, of course, the killing of a baby. I like the dichotomy of Pro Life and Anti-Life better than Pro Life and Pro Choice. Anti-Life is a much more accurate descriptor. I watch Peter Boghossian talking to these kids and he seems to be a sort modern day Socrates. Of course, these kids know almost nothing, have very little life experience, and are not mature enough formulate coherent moral thoughts. But this is truth that is forbidden to be spoken in todays warped society.
Perhaps you are right. And I probably would not use the term in serious discussion and debate. Nevertheless, late trimester abortion and post birth "abortion" merely as a means of birth control are, for me, such hideous and immoral acts that "pro choice" fails to capture the reality.
If you take the emotion out of it and look at why we are here you can see the other side of the constitutional question. I see a lot of voices questioning the court's legitimacy based on this decision but what about the legitimacy of state legislatures?
A state legislative body derives their legitimacy from elections. How many state laws have been challenged by high powered attorneys representing special interest groups since Roe was decided? How many times should federal courts legislate one issue from the bench and why would any abortion rights advocate desire that right to hang in the balance of the judicial philosophies of 9 unelected members of the judiciary? We know why the politicians in Washington DC like it this way. They can continue to whip up their base on both sides and fundraise off the issue leaving no motivation to pass federal laws. This leaves no appetite for thoughtful debate.
As a pro-choice center right woman, my opinion is this. Abortion activists overplayed their hand too many times. They weaponized the federal courts to grab power from democratically elected legislators. The Dobbs case was a result of a bill passed that prohibited abortion after 15 weeks gestational age with the exception of medical emergency or fetal abnormality. It lost every appeal all the way to SCOTUS.
Where would we be today if pro-choice activists showed some restraint? There would be some states that had gestational limits on abortion. There would also be some states that required parental notification for a minor seeking an abortion. Some more conservative states would require a waiting period of a couple days and/or an ultrasound. Some wanted to provide counseling. All these things were automatically challenged in federal court. We can all empathize with the scared teenager, the drug addict who felt unfit, the victim of a horrible crime, and many other circumstances that led to the choice to terminate your pregnancy. It was a gross error in judgement to believe that empathy would transcend into supporting "Shout your abortion!" and other cool kid slogans. Bragging about how many abortions one has had. Glorifying abortion up until the moment of birth. Rendering people terrified to say they believed in any restriction. Labeling every abortion as reproductive healthcare when 92% of abortions are elective. This was a backlash and progressives need to own their participation in the outcome.
I think some pro-life people are over-playing their hands at the moment too. This is not the time, if there ever is a time, to propose travel restrictions on pregnant women, for instance.
If that is true, it is unconstitutional under the privilege and immunities clause and the commerce clause. That actually came up during covid when states with tighter restrictions floated banning travel from open states. People should really be demanding that the president end his emergency declaration though. All these things get muddy under emergency powers. Bush put them on steroids and Biden refuses to end them. They are being renewed July 15.
Third trimester abortion is, of course, the killing of a baby. I like the dichotomy of Pro Life and Anti-Life better than Pro Life and Pro Choice. Anti-Life is a much more accurate descriptor. I watch Peter Boghossian talking to these kids and he seems to be a sort modern day Socrates. Of course, these kids know almost nothing, have very little life experience, and are not mature enough formulate coherent moral thoughts. But this is truth that is forbidden to be spoken in todays warped society.
Perhaps you are right. And I probably would not use the term in serious discussion and debate. Nevertheless, late trimester abortion and post birth "abortion" merely as a means of birth control are, for me, such hideous and immoral acts that "pro choice" fails to capture the reality.
Nicely done. I think they realized a woman’s choice involves more than just a convenience.
You were expecting consistency?