Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows

[Eddie Teach]

He has his own car! 

[grumbler]

From what I can tell he isn't struggling to get action.

He could afford to buy it, but he did have to pay for it.  Maybe not so often now that he is married.

[Berkut]

I don't generally share facebook bullshit, but this is just too spot on:

[The Minsky Moment]

I don't generally share facebook bullshit, but this is just too spot on:

Except - it's not entirely right.  In fact, the unborn are quite demanding.  They require prenatal care and proper nutrition, a clean environment, safe hospitals to be delivered in, and decent homes to go back to. 

But the general point is well taken. If pro-"life" advocates expect to be taken seriously as to their announced principles, one would expect to see similar efforts to preserve and protect life across the board.  In the US that would mean much higher levels of health care provision, much tigher environmental protection, much more aggressive anti-poverty programs, a far more open immigration and refugee policy.  Mandatory vaccination would be a given.

 A few anti-abortion advocates pass this consistency test.  But in the US most don't; in fact there is a decent correlation to support for anti-abortion policies on the one hand, and "anti-life" policies in all other areas.  And thus, the logical conclusion is that this really isn't about the sanctity of life at all.

[The Minsky Moment]

I wonder if he realizes that most women prefer that microwave dinner with their pets over a $400 gourmet meal with men like him.

Most human beings would prefer an evening of dental surgery to spending any time in the company of Matt Gaetz.

[The Larch]

Some states seem to be rushing at the opportunity:

Anger as Louisiana Abortion Bill Could See Women Charged With Murder

The bill advanced by Louisiana lawmakers on Thursday that would abolish abortion in the state and classify it as murder has sparked anger and outrage among opponents, who have taken to social media to criticize the new proposed legislation.

Under the new proposed bill, called House Bill 813, abortion will be considered as homicide from fertilization and conception. The legislators' professed aim is to "ensure the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization by protecting them by the same laws protecting other human beings."

Any abortion would then see both the doctor or those assisting and the person who had the abortion charged with murder.

Opponents of the bill have raised concerns that the law will also impact in vitro fertilization (IVF), forms of contraceptives like intrauterine birth control devices (IUDs) and emergency contraception.

Many criticized Republican lawmakers for being swift at curbing women's rights, but failing to put an equal effort into passing other, urgent laws such as improving child support and health services. Some mentioned the contradiction in a proposed law that protects unborn life while condemning anyone seeking abortion or assisting someone getting one to death or life imprisonment.

The bill has the potential to criminalize miscarriages too.

In a statement, Chris Kaiser, advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, called the proposed bill "barbaric," saying it "would subject people to murder prosecutions, punishable by life without parole, for having abortions."

The proposed bill has so far been approved in a seven-to-two committee vote, but it still has to go through the full House of Representatives for further consideration. The passing of the bill suggests some conservative Republicans could be feeling encouraged by the leaked draft opinion showing a majority of the Supreme Court could be in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal across the U.S.

"We can't wait on the Supreme Court," said Representative Danny McCormick, who authored the bill.

Louisiana is one of 13 states where abortion would immediately be banned if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade. The others are Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Louisiana has a trigger ban against abortion that would immediately come into place if abortion rights are no longer recognized as constitutional. Its state constitution also bars protection for abortion rights.

Louisiana getting a frontrunner spot for nastiest state in the upcoming race to the bottom.

[Berkut]

I don't generally share facebook bullshit, but this is just too spot on:

Except - it's not entirely right.  In fact, the unborn are quite demanding.  They require prenatal care and proper nutrition, a clean environment, safe hospitals to be delivered in, and decent homes to go back to. 

But the general point is well taken. If pro-"life" advocates expect to be taken seriously as to their announced principles, one would expect to see similar efforts to preserve and protect life across the board.  In the US that would mean much higher levels of health care provision, much tigher environmental protection, much more aggressive anti-poverty programs, a far more open immigration and refugee policy.  Mandatory vaccination would be a given.

 A few anti-abortion advocates pass this consistency test.  But in the US most don't; in fact there is a decent correlation to support for anti-abortion policies on the one hand, and "anti-life" policies in all other areas.  And thus, the logical conclusion is that this really isn't about the sanctity of life at all.

The unborn make no demands on those who advocate for their protection though. It is someone *else* who has to bear the consequences of those demands.

I think the point he is making is a bit more nuanced then that though.

It is not just the hypocrisy around caring about unborn babies but not caring about born babies.

It is the emotional triviality of it - that fact that it is just so easy, and hence, kind of cheap. The unborn baby has no baggage, no difficult issues around true caring. You don't have to reconcile your care for a prisoner for example, with the crimes of that prisoner. But that is the core of what (he at least believes) is the Christian ethic. That we care about even those who it is hard to care about, those who make demands on us, in fact, *especially* those that make demands, even unreasonable demands.

This is, I would argue, the very core of the Christian faith. Jesus sacrificed everything for a bunch of humans who were effectively the opposite of the "unborn child" - a bunch of humans in aggregate who were prisoners, poor, the very beings who least deserved his sacrifice, and he made it anyway. 

[Syt]

 

[Sheilbh]

On the protests and SCOTUS justice's homes - from someone at the Free Beacon - it is clear the right's position here will be "defending institutions and norms", which is a demonstration of why I think it's such a catastrophically weak position in the face of the Republicans' project:

Aaron Sibarium
@aaronsibarium
As the tactics escalate from psy ops to outright intimidation, it becomes all the more imperative that the justices stand firm, and that those who are indulging this behavior—including the Biden administration—pay a heavy price come November.

[Berkut]

So Clarence Thomas made some comments about people "becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we don't like."

I mean...is he just being a smartass at this point? Is it just straight up "Fuck you!" kind of thing?

This guys wife was instrumental in pushing an attack on election results, and he is saying THAT?

[viper37]

I wonder if he realizes that most women prefer that microwave dinner with their pets over a $400 gourmet meal with men like him.

Most human beings would prefer an evening of dental surgery to spending any time in the company of Matt Gaetz.

Spot on.  But if we're already going to the nuclear option with Matt Gaetz, what's left for spending time with Madison Cawthorn?

[Syt]

This guys wife was instrumental in pushing an attack on election results, and he is saying THAT?

Have there been any consequences for her?

[grumbler]

Does anyone else find it amusing that the Republicans are whining about the violation of the privacy of the Court's deliberations when the deliberations are about how to word the Court's announcement that we don't have privacy rights in the US?

[Oexmelin]

No one should find that amusing.

[The Minsky Moment]

My eyebrows were raised a bit when the Washington Post disclosed that no fewer than three "conserative" sources reported to them that the anti-Roe majority is still intact.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/07/supreme-court-abortion-roe-roberts-alito/
("But as of last week, the majority of five justices to strike Roe remains intact, according to three conservatives close to the court who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.)

I look forward to Senator McConnell's announcement that the three conservative sources should be hunted down and prosecuted criminally.  And to Senator Cruz's accusations against Alito and Thomas' law clerks.

I'm told patience is a virtue so at least there's that.