Except that Roe v. Wade was decided by 9 grey haired white men, so I guess that could count as precedence for this grey haired white man to also have an opinion, so here I go.
My opinion on this issue is like my opinion on so many other laws and rulings; we should try it before we change it. Let’s start by just keeping to the original, in this case Roe v. Wade ruling, before we start messing with it. My feeling is that abortion has been a political party football for so long that most people don’t even really understand what Roe v. Wade actually decided with regards to abortion way back in 1973.
“The Court divided the pregnancy period into three trimesters. During the first trimester, the decision to terminate the pregnancy was solely at the discretion of the woman. After the first trimester, the state could “regulate procedure.” During the second trimester, the state could regulate (but not outlaw) abortions in the interests of the mother’s health. After the second trimester, the fetus became viable, and the state could regulate or outlaw abortions in the interest of the potential life except when necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.” (Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute)
I don’t know about you, but I personally am okay with this over what we have today. I find it to be a nice middle ground between the extreme right’s no abortion ever and the extreme left’s no restrictions allowed ever. What I find to be so disgusting about this whole situation is that while political extremist are having their tantrums streamed, women are suffering and unborn children are dying.
Instead of fighting and name calling we should be shaping our society so that there are less unwanted pregnancies, therefore less abortions: less abortions due to mothers not thinking they have the means to raise a child, less abortions due to rape, incest, etc due to the perpetrators not getting the help they need (or being incarcerated), less abortions due to…you name it and less abortions for women to have to live with the rest of their lives. What we need is to leave the decision in the woman’s hands as much as possible while at the same time doing everything we can to help her make the decision be what is best for herself and the child. Something I find it ironic is that in many cases, the abortion rates have fallen more in blue states than in red states.
All in all, the crazy Texas law and others like it, as well as both party’s reactions, are just part of an ongoing sick political party game where women & children are the losers. This homey don’t play that game no more.
And in other news, I’m going to go on a bike ride. 😉