A winger told me that this is the plan to outlaw abortion federally..

[converted_democrat]

I come from an ultra conservative area of Ohio, and my family is still there. One of my school mates is a preacher for a fundy church in the Columbus area. I started pumping him for info the other day, and this is what he told me.. Could this really happen? I don't know enough about the law, or the law making process to know if it's even possible or not.

He claims that the way it will happen is through the ban on partial birth abortion. He says that even though the law is currently deemed unconstitutional they are waiting for Alito to hit the court so it can be "kicked" up to the court. He says once Alito hits the court, not only will the law be found to be constitutional, it will be interpreted to the extreme. He says that the law was intentionally written vaguely with many grey areas that are open to interpretation, it will ban most, if not all abortion federally. Could this actually happen?

[JHB]

1. Could this actually happen?

Does an elephant shit on the Constitution?

[liberal N proud]

2. I believe that if Alito is approved through the Senate

Abortion will be one of the first things they go after.

From my post earlier:
Bush to anti-abortion activists: 'We will prevail'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=224129&mesg_id=224129

[converted_democrat]

3. I agree that they will go after abortion, but I had always thought that it

would be via overturning Roe, or introducing a constitutional amendment.. I didn't think it would be through a back door like this. (I'm not real familiar with the law making process.) I guess this way would hold advantages for them. Instead of giving to the states to decide, it would ban it federally, which I'm sure is what they really want anyway.

[BlueJazz]

4. That's OK..Let the Sons-a-Bitches overturn Roe vs Wade.

The next election will get rid of the Pricks.

As I've said before..a lot of political races are won by small margins.
We'll have the Soccer Moms realizing that the Repugs have absolutely no respect
for Women's rights and will vote accordingly.

[AX10]

5. I agree.

[converted_democrat]

7. I could be wrong, but if they do it this way, I don't think they have to

touch Roe..They just have to get the justices to interpret the current law as constitutional, and then interpret the wording to mean most abortions, and not just partial birth abortions.

[Cary]

8. One would think. . .

such a thing would raise a few eyebrows.

[saracat]

9. It is NOT okay. And remember what good would it do

to "get rid of the pricks " since SCOTUS is a lifetime appointment? We would NEVER get our rights back. At least not in my lifetime!

[Lochloosa]

10. Bingo!

[zanne]

14. They'll lose a HUGE campagin issue;

Alot of people who vote Republican do it because of abortion. These one-issue voters will either vote Democrat if Roe v Wade is overturned, or they'll stay home. I'm sure the Republican leaders know this.

[cali]

6. I've read about this approach

but it's unlikely in the extreme that PBA can be stretched so far as to outlaw all abortions. It is however, an important tactic in the attempt to dilsmantle Roe.

[DELUSIONAL]

11. The first thing religious fundamentalist do when they are in power

Is to "control" the women. All fundamentalist religious do this -- Christian, Islamic, Jewish.

I believe that the abortion issue is also about control -- control of women's bodies and their minds. It is also the fundamentalists who stopped the ERA from being passed.

If this happens women will be fighting all the old battles. I wonder what the younger generation of women who have grown up with freedom and rights denied earlier generation are going to do? The ban on abortion will spread to all aspects of women's lives -- because how are the fundies going to know if a woman hasn't had an abortion unless they monitor all women of child bearing age. Women can no longer participate in sports (she could be pregnant-- ya know).

I can't remember all the times I've tried to tell the "non-feminist" young women who are enjoying all the rights due to the fights for these right by feminists -- that if they don't continue the battle they would lose all the progress made.

Why do they hate women? Because the Christian fundies really do hate women -- most will sermonize about how the downfall of the culture is due to feminists or liberal fems -- or women's right. The Islamic fundies are any better -- remember the girls who died in the fire at their school because they tried to leave the burning building without their black shrouds on and they were forced back in by the god-squad? Then in Afghanistan teachers at girls schools are being assassinated.

[More Than A Feeling]

12. Quite right, there isn't much focus on how a ban would be enforced

There would definitely have to be a database of pregnant women, and police investigations of every miscarriage.

That should make even the hardcore fundy women nervous.

[xchrom]

13. i think this is just one approach.

remember -- the fundies don't have a problem with getting r vw overturned all together -- it just throws it back to the states.

forcing liberals to fight in all fifty states for abortion services.

remember mississippi, kanasas -- states like those -- may already have no more than one abortion providing clinic for the whole state.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

15. Probably not

Your winger gospel sharp friend displayed his ignorance, and thereby the ignorance of the knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing faithful.

No action of the SCOTUS will re-criminalize abortion. At worst, overturning Roe kicks the issue back to the states, where individual legislatures will take action. In that process, we can expect knucklewalking states like Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Utah to move swiftly to completely criminalize the process.

Other states, like the northern states (except Indiana, Idaho and Ohio), as well as California, Oregon and Washington, will keep it legal, shifting the wingers' fights to those battlegrounds.

Frankly, it could work to our advantage, taking away the Repigs' key issue whereby they get the churches to empty to go to the polls. :popcorn: If we can keep those whom Repig operative Michael Scanlon referred to as the "religious whackos" in their weird little state-sponsored megachurches, we may have a chance to return the nation to a semblance of freedom.

Assuming the foregoing, it becomes important for liberals to put their money where their mouth is. Massive outreach and public information campaigns need to be prepared for the ignorant states, and trust funds need to be set up to transport poor women to abortion-friendly states on an as-requested, as needed basis.

In those ignorant states, we will need to build and underground railroad for choice. The time to start building that network was about fifteen years ago. Maybe we could get started on it now.

[ourbluenation]

16. It will never be overturned because it is irrelavant.

abortion is being limited down to nothing at the state level. And at the federal issue to overturn it would take their number 1 wedge issue away. Not.gunna.happen.

[bluestateguy]

17. Make abortion illegal and then just put me on a jury in an abortion trail

I won't listen to testimony. I'll read a magazine in the trial and I'll automatically vote not guilty for any woman or doctor (or both) on trail for the "crime" of abortion.