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You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Women's Rights / The War On Women / This is a Big Fucking Deal

This is a Big Fucking Deal

by John Cole|  October 29, 20233:16 pm| 90 Comments

This post is in: The War On Women, Women's Rights Are Human Rights

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What is going on next door in Ohio is a pretty big deal for abortion rights:

Three months after a failed attempt by abortion opponents to make it harder to amend the state constitution, Ohioans will head to the polls again Nov. 7 to decide whether to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. Early voting is already underway, television ads are proliferating and millions in political money is flowing into Ohio. The amendment’s backers have outraised the antiabortion side, but together they have spent more than $40 million on television advertising and other expenses so far, campaign records show.

***

The Nov. 7 amendment, known on the ballot as Issue 1, would if approved make it a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including abortion, contraception, fertility treatment and miscarriage care. It would allow the state to restrict abortion after fetal viability, except when “necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health” — which proponents say is a reasonable limit most Americans would agree with.

I hope it passes, but we all know that even if it does the undemocratic christian nationalists will still try to invalidate it.

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90Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 29, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    we all know that even if it does the undemocratic christian nationalists will still try to invalidate it.

    If I had money to burn I’d put it all on they won’t wait for the ink to dry to ratfuck it.

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    October 29, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    Keeping my fingers crossed for this one

    Of course:

    except when “necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health”

    we know the right won’t accept basically anything as qualifying here. A doctor could say “this person will literally die in an hour” and they’ll be like “but will they tho………”

  3. 3.

    Raoul Paste

    October 29, 2023 at 3:22 pm

    The churches in this area are filled with Vote No signs.    How is this not a violation of their tax-exempt status?

  4. 4.

    E.

    October 29, 2023 at 3:24 pm

    I am really excited for November 7. I have been canvassing for a local progressive woman in our City Council race, and am taking a break from writing postcards to every person I spoke with reminding them of the election and where they have to go to vote and what ID they need (red state, horrific rules). My candidate is running against a sociopath billionaire land developer and I want to see him crushed.

    For those of you sitting out these more rinky dink elections (not that Ohio’s is one, but mine kind of is), life is better when you try to help. As the great Ed Abbey said, action is the antidote to despair.

    Good luck everyone. Please volunteer to phone bank November 6 if you can. When there is good turnout, we win

    ETA by “sitting out” I mean not volunteering for a candidate. I’m pretty sure we’re all voters here.

  5. 5.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    I’ve recently been struggling with this question: when should the state realistically be able to restrict abortion.  A lot of people would argue that viability is a reasonable standard (as it even says in the quoted portion), but I think I’ve come to disagree.

    Call me a radical, but I don’t think the state should be able to impose literally any controls at all.  The number of abortions that take place after viability is infinitesimal, and those are typically the most traumatic since they are (from my reading) overwhelmingly wanted pregnancies.  If someone, along with their doctor, decides to abort a perfectly healthy, viable pregnancy and the state is unable to punish them…well, that’s kind of the price.  But arguing that should be the standard we’re concerned about is like saying that we need to cease production on Supersoakers because someone could turn it into a flamethrower.  Do people sometimes do that?  Yeah, 100%, not speaking from experience or anything.  Should that person be who we’re catering to?  Absolutely not.

    So I’m planting my flag right here: absolutely no abortion restrictions at all, and we trust women and their doctors to make the right decisions for themselves.

  6. 6.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    @Raoul Paste: It is, but who’s going to enforce it?

  7. 7.

    MattF

    October 29, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    From that WaPo article:

    “We say it was a victory and we will take it but that was 100 percent not the end,” Curry said. But despite coaching the students under her to take a moderate view while out campaigning, she is not for legislative compromise.

    “We still have a lot of work to be done. We will not stop fighting until abortion is inaccessible everywhere,” she said.

    No compromise.

  8. 8.

    Kay

    October 29, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    @MattF:

    But despite coaching the students under her to take a moderate view while out campaigning

    She coaches them to lie to women. Wow. What a great job. She must be so proud.

  9. 9.

    SuzieC

    October 29, 2023 at 3:32 pm

    Well, I think the only way they can invalidate it is with another Constitutional amendment.  Currently polls show Issue One passing at about 60-40 so not even Rs would believe that voters would suddenly reverse themselves by a swing of 20% to repeal Issue One.

  10. 10.

    Ohio Mom

    October 29, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    @Raoul Paste: Churches and other non-profits are allowed to take stands on non-partisan issues; they are not allowed to support partisan candidates for office.

    Yeah, yeah, this is followed as much as the speed limit is.

  11. 11.

    Kay

    October 29, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    All of the polling has been good – well, “all”, there have been two polls :)

    I don’t know what to think. I live in such a red county I don’t think my experience is representative of the state.

  12. 12.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    October 29, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    @MattF:

    But despite coaching the students under her to take a moderate view while out campaigning, she is not for legislative compromise.

    “We still have a lot of work to be done. We will not stop fighting until abortion is inaccessible everywhere,” she said.

    Then she’s not really encouraging her students to be “moderates”. She’s basically telling her students to put on a friendly face, a facade, to try to fool normies

  13. 13.

    Eolirin

    October 29, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    @SuzieC: The state legislature has straight up ignored reasonable readings of ballot measures in how they dealt with redistricting. They could just ignore it again and hope that their now majority on the state Supreme Court backs them up. I think the backlash to them doing that could be seismic even in Ohio though. I’m not sure how they’ll react to a loss here, but they’ll do literally everything they can to invalidate it

    Their base is all in on this issue and it’s been pumped up into something with intense emotional resonance. They can’t really be seen backing down.

  14. 14.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    October 29, 2023 at 3:37 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Yup… Republicans have no shame, they will usurp the will of the people and force their beliefs on others using the force of law.

    Republicans are not interested in democracy, they want to rule over it all.

  15. 15.

    Kay

    October 29, 2023 at 3:38 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    OMG, it’s all the anti choice movement does. In all the time I have been following politics I have seen no group of people who LIE more than these people. That includes Donald Trump. No wonder they bow down to Dear Leader- they’re as much liars as he is, or more. They are deeply, dfeeply dishonest. It’s that awful, arrogant dishonesty of religious nuts too, where they’re lying to you “for your own good” – because they know best.

    Of course she lies about the agenda. They know damn well it’s unpopular and no one would vote for it if they knew the plans. That’s WHY they lie.

  16. 16.

    dc

    October 29, 2023 at 3:41 pm

    @Damien: I actually share your position.

  17. 17.

    Ohio Mom

    October 29, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    @Damien: I agree.

    Right wingers go on about viability being some sort of line that should not be crossed but it’s not a clear line at all.

    Technology has pushed the cutoff down by a few weeks but a good portion of babies born too early don’t make it — that is, they were not viable.

    From google: “The survival rate for babies who get admitted to the NICU is approximately 60 per cent at 23 weeks, rising to 80 per cent at 24 to 25 weeks.”

    Ever since Dobbs I’ve read so many posts and articles outlining pregnancies and miscarriages gone wrong that I can’t see any lines that can be drawn. Just leave it up to the person and her trusted confidents.

  18. 18.

    West of the Rockies

    October 29, 2023 at 3:51 pm

    I have a recommendation for anyone who needs a mesmerizing, relaxing distraction (it works especially well if you have a fairly large screen)…

    On YouTube the Monterey Bay Aquarium has a “Live Jelly Cam” that shows the things flowing around in the water.  I usually turn off the music after a while because I just need the visual input to chill out.  They have other live cams for sea otters, moon jellies, etc.

    Sometimes the world and the damn GOP compel me to de-stress.  The jellyfish help.

  19. 19.

    jonas

    October 29, 2023 at 3:54 pm

    but we all know that even if it does the undemocratic christian nationalists will still try to invalidate it.

    Of course they will. You can’t put the will of God to a vote. This stuff is so much easier in an Iranian-style theocracy.

  20. 20.

    Alison Rose

    October 29, 2023 at 3:54 pm

    @West of the Rockies: I put it on often! All of their live cams are fun. Otters and penguins and the kelp forest. It’s a great place.

  21. 21.

    Alison Rose

    October 29, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    @Kay: Always interesting to see how these folks, most of them driven by their religious beliefs, have no problem bearing false witness. I guess they would argue that it’s okay because they’re “saving lives” or whatever. No end to their mendacity.

  22. 22.

    Cameron

    October 29, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    My friend in Sarasota received the following survey from our US Rep., Vern Buchanan, and asked me if it looked legit:
    “According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Florida has jumped from 35th in the nation in reading and math to 3rd and 4th, respectively, as a result of increased school choice programs in the state. Knowing this, do you support federal legislation to incentivize the expansion of school choice programs across the country?”
    I seriously doubt that with our guv’s allergy to education, FL students’ test scores have skyrocketed.  And I’m not aware of any place in the country where ‘school choice’ has improved educational outcomes.  I told her it was bullshit; I’m not going to waste my time trying to figure out what sort of rightwing outfit runs this so-called assessment.

  23. 23.

    bbleh

    October 29, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    … the undemocratic christian nationalists will still try to invalidate it.

    And let us be clear, by being undemocratic they are un-American.

    “Of course we’re anti-democratic — we’re not Democrats, nyuk nyuk nyuk.”  And “Fascist” is too easily brushed off.  But “un-American” gets under their skins.  And they are, literally, un-American in their political attitudes.

  24. 24.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    October 29, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    @Kay: They don’t lie:  they just ignore facts in the face of higher truth.

  25. 25.

    dmsilev

    October 29, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    @Kay:

    She coaches them to lie to women. Wow. What a great job. She must be so proud.

    As I understand it, the religious types use an ‘ends justify the means’ reasoning to justify the blatant lies they tell. ‘It’s in God’s service’ or something like that.

  26. 26.

    West of the Rockies

    October 29, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    @Alison Rose:

    I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Haven’t gotten down there since about ’08.  Maybe next summer.

  27. 27.

    sab

    October 29, 2023 at 4:17 pm

    @Kay: A school board member just drove right up to the No on 1 person, got out and chatted cheerfully with her, ignored us and then trotted in to early vote. She’s a pediatric nurse! She is not up for re-election until 2025. I had no idea that’s where she stood.

  28. 28.

    suzanne

    October 29, 2023 at 4:19 pm

    @Damien:

    So I’m planting my flag right here: absolutely no abortion restrictions at all, and we trust women and their doctors to make the right decisions for themselves.

    Yes this.
    There’s no way to write any sort of statute around this issue that doesn’t harm pregnant people enduring a terrible health issue.
    So…. we shouldn’t.

  29. 29.

    sab

    October 29, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    I missed LaRose’s failed shenanigans with the Bellefontaine dragqueen show ban. Somebody passed around a petition to get it on the city ballot. Afterwards they switched the cover of the petitions so the wording was different from what was the petition signers had seen.

    County Board of Elecrions split 2 to 2 on whether ro allow it on the ballot. LaRose said allow it, and the cover switch was just a technicality.

    Ohio Supreme Court reversed unanimously, and specifically called out LaRose. And our now partisan court is 4 to 3 Republican.

  30. 30.

    jonas

    October 29, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    @Damien:The number of abortions that take place after viability is infinitesimal,

    And the reason those very few do happen is precisely because they’re not viable.

  31. 31.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    October 29, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    @Kay:

    They are deeply, dfeeply dishonest. It’s that awful, arrogant dishonesty of religious nuts too, where they’re lying to you “for your own good” – because they know best.

    Of course she lies about the agenda. They know damn well it’s unpopular and no one would vote for it if they knew the plans. That’s WHY they lie.

    Yes, it’s awful and disgusting. Thankfully, it seems a lot of people are seeing through their lies. Fingers crossed for Nov 7 🤞

  32. 32.

    West of the Rockies

    October 29, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    @Cameron:

    A quick look at the NAEP (a national academic assessment) for ’22 does not suggest sterling math scores for Florida’s students.

  33. 33.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 29, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    @Damien: I came to the same pretty radical position a while ago. But I know it’s beyond the cultural consensus to such a degree that it’s sometimes described as an absurd strawman.

  34. 34.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 29, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    @SuzieC: here’s hoping there isn’t a typo in it, and that it doesn’t end up printed on the wrong weight of paper.

  35. 35.

    Cameron

    October 29, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    @West of the Rockies: He…he lied?  I’m shocked!  Shocked, I tell you, shocked!

  36. 36.

    Kathleen

    October 29, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    @Alison Rose: Here’s a gift article link from WaPo (long read) about how doctors and hospitals are dealing with the squishy so called exceptions in various states’ abortion laws (spoiler alert – not well):

    https://wapo.st/45T8aPw

  37. 37.

    Kathleen

    October 29, 2023 at 4:57 pm

    @Damien: The purpose of Issue 1 is to restore the provisions allowed under Roe vs Wade, nothing more and nothing less, and to codify it into Ohio’s Constitution.

  38. 38.

    Kathleen

    October 29, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    @Kay: David Pepper’s take is Issue 1 will pass if the voters turn out.

  39. 39.

    Geminid

    October 29, 2023 at 5:02 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: The Roe decision laid out a pragmatic regulatory system.that a majority of Americans approved of. It was informed by advice Justice Blackman hot from doctors at the Mayo Clinic. I don’t see any good reason to go beyond it. Rather, I think we should return to it.

  40. 40.

    Kathleen

    October 29, 2023 at 5:03 pm

    @Geminid: That precisely what Issue 1  in Ohio does.

  41. 41.

    Geminid

    October 29, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    @Kathleen: A small “c” conservative approach, and a sound one in my opinion.

  42. 42.

    jayne

    October 29, 2023 at 5:11 pm

    @Damien:  “Oh man, I actually really hate taxing entities that, through their own stupidity, no longer qualify for a tax exemption,” said no tax collectors ever. Report their asses to the IRS. There are reporting forms to download off their website.

  43. 43.

    marcopolo

    October 29, 2023 at 5:12 pm

    And then you have this occurring as well:

    Every year, Ohio’s county election officials go through their voter rolls to remove inactive registrations. Typically, it happens in the summer between the primaries and the general election in November.

    But then a funny thing happened.

    Republican lawmakers forced a special election in August to consider an amendment. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose led the campaign for that proposal which would’ve raised the threshold for all future constitutional amendments.

    In June, LaRose issued a directive ordering county boards not to cancel any registrations ahead of the election in August. But he didn’t delay the process too long. The same memo set a new timeline for removing registrations in September.

    But with thousands of registrations on the chopping block, and a general election around the corner, Democrats are crying foul.

    On the one hand, this is just routine housekeeping of cleaning the names of folks who haven’t voted (or I think responded to a postcard warning or something like that) at least once over the past 6 years.  On the other hand, all kinds of hanky panky can ensue when voter rolls are culled & I am not sure I understand how this does not violate the National Voter Registration Act.

    The NVRA limits changes to voter rolls close to an election, and state law requires officials to complete the changes “not later than 90 days prior” to a federal primary or general election.

    Maybe this is a special not general election

    ps.  I don’t even want to get into all the bullcrap that Rs in MO have been pulling regarding our own abortion legalizing ballot amendment.  So much delaying & obfuscation that even though the language was originally submitted on March 8 nothing has as yet actually made it to getting on petitions that need to be signed.

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 29, 2023 at 5:12 pm

    @Raoul Paste:

    I hope you (and others) will document these violations photographically and send them, with a cover note (or filled-out form, however it works) to IRS enforcement. Don’t know if state department of revenue has similar tax-exempt policies, but maybe copy them too.

    You also might want to provide the same information to the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the ACLU. I expect they both have resources.

    I think it’s important to call out these churches on their egregious and repeated violations of their tax-exempt status

  45. 45.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    October 29, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    @West of the Rockies:

    @Cameron:

    I was curious and came across this Axios article:

    A large majority of Florida students were unable to reach proficiency in reading and math in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), aka the Nation’s Report Card, released Monday.

    Driving the news: Florida students’ scores dipped from 2019 in three out of four achievement measures: eighth-grade reading and math and fourth-grade math.

    Still, Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials touted that Florida students this year ranked third in the nation in Grade 4 reading and fourth in Grade 4 mathematics, which the governor says serves as proof that keeping schools open during the COVID pandemic paid off.

    Buchanan is being misleading. It seems it was only in Grade 4 that those gains were made

  46. 46.

    Timill

    October 29, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    @Kathleen: Yup – it’s not “pro-abortion or anti-abortion”, it’s “pro-Roe or pro-No”.

  47. 47.

    smintheus

    October 29, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    @Geminid:  One of the reasons I don’t approve of treating “viability” as a threshold for even a partial ban on abortion is that the Christianists will simply redefine viability to suit their agenda…just as they would insist upon the existence of fetal heartbeats and an ability to feel pain within 6 seconds of conception if those were the threshold.

  48. 48.

    RSA

    October 29, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    @Cameron:  “According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Florida has jumped from 35th in the nation in reading and math to 3rd and 4th, respectively, as a result of increased school choice programs in the state.”

    I’m going to take a wild leap here: A government organization with “Assessment” and “Progress” in its name is going to be focusing on data collection and models of whether education metrics of interest are going up, going down, or staying the same. These are hugely complex challenges, given the number of K-12 schools (~140,000) and school districts (~1,350), structured in different ways and following different rules at the state and local levels.

    I think it’s unlikely that the NAEP is looking for causal relationships, which would be another huge undertaking. Though other government organizations might be doing it.

  49. 49.

    Nettoyeur

    October 29, 2023 at 5:29 pm

    @Cameron:  All that apparent educational success goes down the tubes when they hit universities whode staff are leaving in droves as de Satan destroys the universities.

  50. 50.

    Don K

    October 29, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    @Alison Rose:

    Well, it seems the folks in Ohio printed a copy of the amendment we here in Michigan passed last year, and our language states: “in no circumstance shall the state prohibit an abortion that, in the professional judgment of an
    attending health care professional, is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the
    pregnant individual.”, so I hope the problem of meddling fundies is covered. In addition, “The state shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against an individual based on their actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including but not limited to miscarriage,
    stillbirth, or abortion. Nor shall the state penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against someone for aiding or assisting a pregnant individual in exercising their right to reproductive freedom with their voluntary consent.”

    Who’da thunk Michigan would be an example for the rest of the country?

  51. 51.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    October 29, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    @Damien: Your position is my position, and we’re not the radicals.

    Government should stay the hell out of personal medical decisions.

  52. 52.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    @Kathleen: I’m aware of the purpose of Issue 1, and I’m not speaking strictly to that; I’m planting my flag as to what actually seems the most reasonable and some might say conservative stance.

    Any restrictions placed by the state must inherently be proved, and placing legal roadblocks in front of a private medical decision only necessitates the growth of an investigative and enforcement mechanism. It forces what should be entirely private medical decisions and in some cases very private tragedies to be put under a microscope and that is cruel and stupid.

    No restrictions. That’s where I stand

  53. 53.

    Mousebumples

    October 29, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    Late to the thread, but if you’ve got time (and postcarding supplies), I think WaterGirl has more addresses for Ohio!

    I just got what I think is my last set of addresses. I want to get them in the mail by Tuesday to make sure that they arrive in Ohio before Election Day.

    #GOTV

  54. 54.

    Geminid

    October 29, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    @smintheus: Such laws as you described wete not allowed under Roe. 

  55. 55.

    Geminid

    October 29, 2023 at 5:40 pm

    @Damien: Have you taken this up with your local state legislators? Abortion rights groups? They might like to hear from a man with a plan.

  56. 56.

    Kathleen

    October 29, 2023 at 5:40 pm

    @Damien: I agree.

  57. 57.

    Captain C

    October 29, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    So, I just had a thought.  If the anti-abortion people really wanted to reduce abortions and save fetuses, wouldn’t they be working on, pushing for, and funding the research of fetal transplants (assuming such a thing is possible, and before we think about the ethics thereof)?  If you think abortion is a sin, and you had a functional uterus, wouldn’t you prefer bearing the pregnancy yourself if you couldn’t prevent the abortion?

    Of course, other potential ethical issues aside, this doesn’t solve the potential problem of having kids from an other- or outgroup and using them as domestic service or for more sinister purposes.

    Not to mention that this sort of thing sounds like it could easily attract grifters from many angles.

  58. 58.

    Don K

    October 29, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    @smintheus:

    Ah, and again, Michigan has it covered: ” ‘Fetal viability’ means: the point in pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of an attending health care professional and based on the particular facts of the case, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’s sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.”

  59. 59.

    Kathleen

    October 29, 2023 at 5:43 pm

    @Geminid: I’m glad this was pointed out on a Blue Ohio Zoom call I attended. Rethugs are lying and fear mongering (surprise!) and one of the Issue 1 coordinators said if anyone asks you about what Republicans are claiming just tell them it restores Roe. Keeps it truthful and simple.

  60. 60.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 29, 2023 at 5:46 pm

    @Damien:

    Call me a radical, but I don’t think the state should be able to impose literally any controls at all.

    I totally agree. And I often reflect on the fact that if a government has the ability to restrict or outlaw abortion, it also has the ability to mandate abortion. The state has (or should have) no interest whatsoever in the reproductive choices of its citizens.

  61. 61.

    Cameron

    October 29, 2023 at 5:47 pm

    @Nettoyeur: Oh, it’s well beyond university.   He’s bolloxed up K-12, too.  Education over all in FL is going down the drain, and if ‘school choice’ improved ed outcomes here it would be the first place in the nation where that’s happened.  I do feel for people who have kids in the system here.  On the bright side, how much education do you need to wait tables or to be an airport baggage handler?

  62. 62.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 29, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    @Geminid: Roe is certainly better than what we’ve got now, but it allowed for things like the absurd “partial-birth abortion” ban, and red-state regimes that gradually contracted abortion access to nil even if it seemed otherwise on paper.

  63. 63.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 5:52 pm

    @Geminid: To be honest, this is something I’ve been wrestling with for some time, and have only very recently come to this position after extensive reading and contemplation.  Beginning with reading about Common Law’s stance on abortion, followed by reading a thorough recounting of the legal history of Roe v. Wade, and the tidal wave of stories both in medical journals and mainstream press regarding what the abortion environment was like pre-Roe’s overturn and after.

    One interesting point that I’ve found in my readings is the reality that the original abortion bans weren’t focused on fetuses, but rather were attempts to safeguard women’s health in a time when it wasn’t uncommon to use mercury or other toxins to induce the abortion.  Now that’s no longer the case and abortion is magnitudes safer than pregnancy, let alone birth, so now this disingenuous shift to the fetus is clearly a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to continue the imposition of the state into what have to be considered the most private affairs.  To call that the “conservative” position is to bastardize the very meaning of the word.

    So yes, I will be getting in contact with my state legislators, despite the fact that I live in one of the most liberal states in America; I don’t feel that returning to a Roe universe where states were free to regulate abortion clinics out of existence is the answer, I believe the answer is to leave this decision to the people most qualified to make it: the pregnant person and their doctor.

     

    Mo’ than Roe

  64. 64.

    Citizen Alan

    October 29, 2023 at 5:56 pm

    @Damien: Same here. As far as I am concerned, personhood begins at birth and not one second earlier. Prior to that point a woman’s body is 100% her own and it is nobody else’s godsamned business what decision she makes. And fuck the American Taliban and the Republican freaks who they elect for saying anything different!

  65. 65.

    matt

    October 29, 2023 at 5:58 pm

    What’s the will of the people compared to the will of God? God has ultimate, dictatorial power over everyone, after all.

  66. 66.

    sab

    October 29, 2023 at 6:01 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: In Ohio we are hoping to set at least a minimum level, in a state where some sitting legislators believe ectopic pregnancies can be reimplanted.

    If Issue 1 passes we at least will have Roe, and hopefully someday for looser rules by statute not constitutional amendment.

    The idea of (allegedly) celibate bishops who have never been married, never had wives going through pregnancies, making medical and personal family decisions for the rest of us just boggles my mind.

  67. 67.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 6:04 pm

    @sab: Yeah, Issue 1 is great.  Trying to establish a baseline is important, and Roe is as good a place to start as any.

  68. 68.

    Geminid

    October 29, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    @Damien: Not sure if your use of conservative referred to mine. I was referring to a strategic aspect of the Ohio referendum. I think it’s all well and good to pursue another approach in a very blue state, but the women of Ohio really need what that referendum can achieve. Maybe once you succeed in your own state it might be worth proposing it in Ohio, but for now I want to see this referendum succeed as is.

  69. 69.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 6:12 pm

    @Geminid: Just to clarify my first comment then: I think Issue 1 is a fantastic piece of legislation that 100% will make life much better for women in Ohio.  I wasn’t trying to undermine its important in any way, just expressing where I’d landed re: abortion rights in general.

    While I used to be a proponent of the viability standard, and have in fact argued for it with friends in the past, the last year and change has really forced me to confront the most basic tenets of the abortion debate, including my own views.  Realizing that putting the hand of the state into any aspect of reproductive decisions has certain knock-on effects that are fundamental, somewhat invisible, and horrifying has led me to change my mind.

    That is what I was saying earlier, and it has no insult to Issue 1 (which I wholeheartedly support).

  70. 70.

    sab

    October 29, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    I know women in Ohio who want more children, but after a couple of miscarriages are afraid to risk another pregnancy.

  71. 71.

    PBK

    October 29, 2023 at 6:19 pm

    @Mousebumples: Was just coming here to mention this.  Big thanks to all the postcard writers for this “big fucking deal” and to WaterGirl for the coordinating.

  72. 72.

    Geminid

    October 29, 2023 at 6:27 pm

    @Damien: I get that. I just dropped in halfway through the conversation when another person from a very blue state proposed to improve upon Roe.

    But I would suggest talking to people in a group that has been fighting for abortion rights for a while, because they may point out practical political flaws in your principled approach. They probably have thought about these questions some. They might ask, “why would we put our energy into reinventing the wheel?” Or, they might say, “let’s do this!”

  73. 73.

    Nelle

    October 29, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    @Ohio Mom: That some of these premies are very, very physically damaged children.  Every story is not happy.  I’m well acquainted with an 11 year old who has basically been abandoned by her parents in their obsession with the severely disabled, uncommunicative, non-toilet trained 7 year old brother.  Extended family and neighbors have stepped in and she is now out of her family home and living with an aunt.  They chose not to institutionalize him and apparently sent her away without much argument.

  74. 74.

    Damien

    October 29, 2023 at 6:42 pm

    @Geminid: Again, I’m not arguing about the political practicality, and I’m not trying to argue about improving on Roe.  I understand that we need to get back to some semblance of sanity before we can go any further, and that especially in red states it’s going to be a bit of a battle.

    I’m just saying that I’m personally going to begin making my argument for completely unrestricted abortion whenever the topic comes up, because that’s where I’ve landed after a lot of thought.

  75. 75.

    Glidwrith

    October 29, 2023 at 7:11 pm

    @Captain C: These folks can’t be bothered to provide food, clothing or education for the children they forced to be born into this world and they most certainly won’t adopt them. It’s just as well that it’s impossible to transplant a fetus, because these fascists would start forcing women to take them on the grounds of saving its life, regardless of the woman’s life.

  76. 76.

    Gary

    October 29, 2023 at 7:20 pm

    @West of the Rockies: One has stopped. This is still going.

    https://youtu.be/gdJjc6l6iII?si=s-tdncIPwgbDJ-7L

  77. 77.

    Eyeroller

    October 29, 2023 at 7:24 pm

    “Abortion after viability” drives me insane because there is no such thing. If the fetus is viable, it is delivered. It may or may not survive, because at the lower bound “viability” just means “has a decent chance of surviving on its own,” but that is not an abortion. Some fetuses that may be “viable” based on gestational age may still have defects that are incompatible with life, but those are not really “viable” in the sense of “have a decent chance of survival.” Viability is reasonably well defined as “able to breathe.” With modern technology (but no artificial womb) the lower bound of lung development is around 23 weeks. There doesn’t seem to be much controversy over the chances of fetuses of less than 22 weeks’ gestational age.

  78. 78.

    Subsole

    October 29, 2023 at 8:02 pm

     

     

    @West of the Rockies:

    I nominate “The jellyfish help,” for rotating tag.

  79. 79.

    gene108

    October 29, 2023 at 8:02 pm

    @Raoul Paste:

    The churches in this area are filled with Vote No signs. How is this not a violation of their tax-exempt status?

    I’ve worked for a couple of 501c(3) nonprofits. I seriously doubt sticking a couple* of signs out front violates the law, as much as we want it to.

    If they organized their congregation to knock on doors, write post cards, etc. is another issue.

    Whether an organization’s attempts to influence legislation, i.e., lobbying, constitute a substantial part of its overall activities is determined on the basis of all the pertinent facts and circumstances in each case. The IRS considers a variety of factors, including the time devoted (by both compensated and volunteer workers) and the expenditures devoted by the organization to the activity, when determining whether the lobbying activity is substantial.

    https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/measuring-lobbying-substantial-part-test

    *Edit: Could be a few dozen signs on their property. It still won’t take up significant church resources to stick them in the ground on their property.

  80. 80.

    Subsole

    October 29, 2023 at 8:03 pm

    @jonas:

    These whited sepulchers are far, far worse than the Iranian Mullahs.

    The Mullahs were at least honest about what they are.

  81. 81.

    Subsole

    October 29, 2023 at 8:05 pm

    @Cameron: I dunno. That just screams “Our homeschooling program has a 100% graduation rate!” to me…

  82. 82.

    Matt

    October 29, 2023 at 8:35 pm

    @Geminid:

    Nah, polite compromise was the status-quo before the Christianists stuffed the courts with brainwashed zealots to force their choices onto others.

    No limits.

    Hell, if the kid turns out conservative it should be allowed until the 303rd trimester.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    October 29, 2023 at 9:22 pm

    @Mousebumples:  Yes!

    I still have 300 Ohio addresses for postcards.

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    October 29, 2023 at 9:24 pm

    @Gary: Welcome!  Or welcome back, as the case may be.

    I approved your comment, so future comments should show up for everyone right away.

  85. 85.

    El Muneco

    October 29, 2023 at 9:54 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): When you’re opposing absolute evil, literally anything you do is justified. Also, the whole “bearing false witness” thing explicitly only applies to people within the in-group – it is not only OK but sometimes your _duty_ to lie to normies.

    This is what we’re dealing with.

  86. 86.

    Gretchen

    October 29, 2023 at 9:59 pm

    @WaterGirl: how do we get those addresses and scripts?

  87. 87.

    wjca

    October 29, 2023 at 11:03 pm

    @Captain C:

    If the anti-abortion people really wanted to reduce abortions, they would be pushing hard for more, and more readily available, contraception.  Totally regardless of the opinions of the parents of those involved.  Can’t have an abortion if you didn’t get pregnant,  after all.

    But somehow they want to drastically restrict contraception as well.  Which means either utterly sloppy thinking, or complete mendacity as to their actual concerns.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    October 29, 2023 at 11:34 pm

    @Gretchen: Just seeing this now.  Send me an email message telling me how many addresses you would like.

    The script is in the Postcard Writing Info link in the sidebar, but I’ll include it here, too.

    My address is my nym at balloon-juice.com

    Political Action

    Postcard Writing Information

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    October 29, 2023 at 11:35 pm

    @wjca:

    But somehow they want to drastically restrict contraception as well.  Which means either utterly sloppy thinking, or complete mendacity as to their actual concerns.

  90. 90.

    Sally

    October 30, 2023 at 2:26 am

     

     

    @Damien: I also agree with this position. I have for some decades.  I also think that it is important for those of us who do take this position to advocate with our representatives so that they realise that this position exists.  Roe was the compromise.  The extremes are: the govt forbids all abortions, and the govt can mandate abortions. IMHO Roe was too much of a compromise.  People shouldn’t have to seek permission for a medical procedure.

    As we here know, almost all abortions are performed in the first trimester.  After that, there are all sorts of reasons for this procedure, reasons that the dumb as peas republican theocrats have no idea of. Most of them in debates I have listened to can’t even understand how the human body works, but they are eager to write legislation about it.  The reasons for late term terminations would break your heart.

    We can’t legislate gun control (they say) because only a small number of gun owners are murderers. Well same for terminations – don’t legislate for something that (much more) rarely happens.

    Limits on abortion will possibly increase the numbers of abortions because a pregnant person/couple realise they don’t have time to think, but have to act straight away or miss the window.

    Sorry for the lack of punctuation, I’m so mad, and I hate these people. They can only win their “arguments” by lying.

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