When Roe v. Wade Is Over-Turned, What Will Happen?

[Yavin4]

Will the states have the ability to make abortions legal/illegal? What will stop someone from going from Alabama to Calif. to have an abortion? How will Alabama prove that someone left their state to have an abortion? Will states like Calif, NY, Ill, and Mass become abortion factories? Will exceptions be made in the case of rape or incest?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. let's answer those

Yes, it will be up the states. Nothing will stop someone from crossing state lines. Yes, blue states will, unfortunately, become "abortion factories". Exceptions will depend on each state making their own laws.

[johnfunk]

11. The overturn of Roe = the end of the Republican Party

Mark my words -- if John Robot's the swing vote that gives those bigot anti-modernity eeeeeeeeevangelicals their gushing wet dream, the GOP is finished. Done. Stick a fork in it (you know where).

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. I don't buy that.

NARAL has been doing well for itself, and abortion has been legal.

The fundie machine will just shift gears to "keep abortion illegal". They'll have a small decline, sure, but it won't end anything.

[Heddi]

18. But it puts the women in states where abortion is illegal

in very precarious standing.

not every woman has the ability to travel a few hundred miles to obtain an abortion.

So it's okay to risk THEIR lives and THEIR reproductive freedoms because women in Washington and California and Massachusetts can get abortions easily?

And there will be laws preventing mainly MINORS from crossing state lines to get abortion. I believe there already are such laws in states which require parental consent for minors to receive abortion services. SO they're shit out of luck too.

I agree with states rights in regards to some things--but a universal right to medical privacy, medical choice, reproductive choice, and reproductive privacy is NOT something that should be left up to the states.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. Woah, who said any of this was okay?

Certainly not me! Save your tirade for those that deserve it!

[Heddi]

30. Sorry, I guess I misunderstood your post

as to basically agree with the idea that it's okay for abortion to be state's rights issue and not federal.

Sorry about that :)

[LuckyTheDog]

2. Depends

It depends on how activist GW's judicial "annointees" are.

If they merely decide to ignore the Constitution's privacy protections and hand the issue to the states, that would be one thing. Some states would leave things as they are... some would make radical changes, others would tweak.

But if the judges go farther - to fabricate a constitutional "right to life" for embryos and fetuses - that will be quite another. And that, my friend, is what the far-right whackos really want. :grr:

[iamjoy]

I Think The Former Is More Likely

Each state will set their own laws, and well-to-do women in states with restrictive laws will travel to states where they can get what they need. As for women without the means, well, they can always give the baby up for adoption if they don't want to use a wire hanger or knitting needle. Maybe if her life is in danger she can get the procedure, or maybe she just has to take her chances, she knew the risk when she "chose" to have sex, right?

And then, the right wing radicals will work state by state to outlaw it. Then, the very wealthy women will go out of the country. The middle class women will be in the same situation as poor women.

I don't see a Constitutional Amendment declaring life begins at conception, although I think they'll try.

[LuckyTheDog]

12. Probably true, but...

...the real goal or the right is to totally nuke Roe by appointing judges who will say that the "right to life" applies to "the unborn." They will not seek an amendment. They won't need one if they can appoint a court that will "interpret" the Constitution the way they want them to.

[sweetheart]

19. If the drugs war is any example

They are overriding state laws with their federal moralism, and likely
they'll pursue the same path, as you say... going for a comprehensive
series of laws against womens equality.

If roe is overturned, the jews should leave germany.

[LeftyMom]

3. IF Roe is overturned. When we start thinking when, the battle is lost. nt

[ironman202]

5. if roe goes, culture war on!

i think women will be revolting in the streets. Mine will be and I will be there with her.

[MisterLiberal]

22. That is why we should fight NOW

There is no greater issue than seats on the Supreme Court!

They outlast a President by DECADES!!!!!!!!!!

What kind of world are we giving our children and GRANDCHILDREN???

[jedr]

4. that's the way it was in the 60's

If a girl at Penn State went to N.Y. City for a few days and had no Friends there ...the answer was obvious...as for exceptions..who knows? ...will you need a license to have sex and someone to verify that you didn't enjoy it and it was only done to make babies?

[Hobarticus]

6. Will the police investigate your miscarriage? n/t

[iamjoy]

7. Quite Possibly

they would investigate.

[LuckyTheDog]

15. Probably

In some places, I am guessing that all pregnancies will need to be reported to the state.

[converted_democrat]

16. Did you see that law proposal BTW????

This was about 6 months back that very law was proposed in either W. Virgina or Virgina I forget which. It was squelched quickly, but it was introduced on the state level. The law said you had to call 911 or your doctor, or go to a hospital to be "checked, and verified" If you didn't do it you could face up to 12 months in jail. No joke they already tried to pull that law, but it was shot down quick. I'll try to look it up right now.

[converted_democrat]

17. They already tried to float that law in Virgina here it is...........

http://democracyforvirginia.typepad.com/democracy_for_virginia/2005/01/legislative_sen.html


You literally would go to jail if you do not report your miscarriage, the law luckily didn't pass.

[Hobarticus]

24. That is absurd. Utterly absurd.

One doesn't have to be right-to-lifer to see how ridiculous and invasive that is.

[ltfranklin]

8. Don't the laws that were overturned before come back?

Perhaps I'm in error, but if RvsW is overturned, that means that all the laws that were passed during that period that were overturned can be reexamined. Or maybe not. If they do reemerge, that is going to be a BIG load on the court, since I assume they all would be fought right back up to the Supreme Court.

Or would they all have to start over from scratch?

At any rate, I think we ought to be concentrating on making advances in Congress and the White House. If the court won't protect the rights of Women, then we better make sure we're in the position to protect them from either the legislative or Executive branch (or both, preferably).

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

9. What happened in the past.

Woman who could afford to, went across state lines or out of the country. Woman who couldn't found a back alley abortionist & risked serious complications or death, or had a baby they couldn't afford psychologically or financially or emotionally.

[applegrove]

10. They will not overturn it because that would be terribly un-popular and

the right wing plans on keeping moderate women's votes. They will just tweak with the law - making it harder because parental consent will be needed, etc.

But they will not go after Roe Vs. Wade because that has saved the lives of millions on grown women. And women know this.

But they will pretend that they will - when it comes time to get elected - to certain audiences they will show that face. And then, like they did after winning in 2004 - they will shut up the far religious right when they want actions started to undo Roe vs. Wade. Remember how they shut down the far religious right in early Feb 2005 ? There Bush is with the the house & the senate and the supreme court and he doesn't lift a finger or show up at an event...after winning the election on the backs of the religious right.


After all the Bush WH doesn't actually want to "solve" the issues they talk about during elections. What would be the point in doing that? Then they couldn't use it to win. The Bush WH just wants to tribalize the USA in ways that will result in a big tent for Repukes. Solving issues and dilemmas that the USA people face is not on the agenda. Are you kidding? The elections will remain totally non-transparent because that divides the Democrats. And on and on.

[jedr]

28. I often think that; they really don't give a damn ;

and it was just pandoring....after-all the only thing these people really care abut is money, and there's no money in this issue...plus it will remove a voting block on which they depend.

[applegrove]

29. I agree that really much of what the "upper GOP" does has little if none

to do with policy and much to do with getting people to buy into a package of goods which includes people voting against their own best interest and for elites. Disrali (a hero of the neocons) said it first. Conservatism cannot be sold because it does not represent the majority unless you tie it to "nationalism" or some good which people will buy into.

I know many people truly hate abortion. And until the issue touches you personally - then you really don't know how you will feel. I do not doubt that abortion laws could be tightened up - I would say you have to push all kinds of reproductive health including a "man pill" to try and make it rare. Abortion is not a good thing. But a right - yes. It has to be among the choices unless you want dead girls and women again.

[wli]

13. read the Handmaid's Tale for details

[MisterLiberal]

21. Here's what will happen

We can thank those Cingulars (Democrats who ROLLOVER) for it.

Just as we can thank the Naderites/Greens for giving us Shrub in the first place, those Cingulars who urged everyone to grab the KY and just accept defeat can be thanked.

For the next 30+ years, in fact.

[RC]

23. Their hatred of abortion needs to be tied to their love of war and

the needed canon fodder. For us the abortion debate needs to be tied to sane, sensible birth control and widely available sex education. In other words eliminate the need for most abortions. In any case it needs to be shifted to a medical decision between a woman and her doctor, not a political football as it is now.

[fujiyama]

25. An outright reversal

is possible, but I don't see it happening.

I do however expect late term abortions to be banned, parental notification laws to be legal, and a whole lot of hoops to be thrown at a woman in order for them to recieve an abortion. In the end it will be just as bad.

But if Roe were flat out overturned it would open up a whole new pandora's box - the possibility of a RW congress of passing federal anti abortion laws, banning abortions in even liberal states. Granted, I don't see this happening, but with the pukes in power ya never know.

Still ultimately, I wish people were more keen to discuss other issues at stake as well. While the right to an abortion is indeed important (and I'm not marginalizing its impact on women), there are many other issues that need to be addressed as well like civil liberties in general(like those dealing with how the government is conducting the war on terrorism), church state seperation, environmental laws, labor and workers' rights - all about how the commerce clause is interpreted.

[MisterLiberal]

26. Sorry

But I don't leave things like that to chance. If the Repukes have a chance at a powergrab, they will ALWAYS take it.

They know that if RvW is overturned that it's then a states issue, so they would go for the blue states in their endless Crusade.

[MisterLiberal]

27. Sad

I want the Democrats who say that we should just accept defeat to talk to me a year from now if he's confirmed and tell me they did the right thing.

[OrlandoGator]

31. The Democratic Party will immediately become ten times stronger.

n/t