Sunday, May 8th, 2022
My Dear America:
Abortion has not always been legal in the United States of America.
It has been legal for the last Fifty Years, though. But it certainly seems as though that long time Legal Precedent is about to change radically according to the lengthy Supreme Court Document written by Justice Samuel Alito that has somehow oddly surfaced recently and has set off a firestorm of controversy in our country.
Much of the Controversy on the Republican side has been Extreme Concern with Who released the Alito document. Little has been said on the Republican side regarding the bombshell Alito opinion that may be about to return American Women back to the Back Alleys and Dark Ages of Women's Reproductive Rights in America.
Women who I care about very deeply have sometimes been in situations in which after careful consideration they decided that for various reasons they needed to terminate a pregnancy. These people were not criminals. They were women who were faced with extremely hard choices as to whether or not have an abortion. The decision to have an abortion is in all cases a heartbreaking one and one that is never easy to make.
Clearly no woman choosing to have an abortion does it gleefully. It is a painful decision in all cases. There are many reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion but in the last Fifty years since the Supreme Court decided the legal Precedent regarding Roe V Wade at least Women who needed an abortion were safe from Dangerous Back Alley Butchers.
Women have always found ways to have abortions when they needed them. At least Rich Women have found the resources necessary when they felt they needed to have an abortion.
Poor Women, on the other hand, were not always able to make the same choices regarding abortion. That is certainly the case now in Texas and other Abortion Restrictive States.
What we are seeing at the present time is the result of many years of the Republican Party members lying about pretty much everything in this country and ending up controlling many State Legislatures and Governor's offices as a result. On the Federal level we have seen Mitch McConnell steal what should have rightfully been a Barack Obama Supreme Court Nomination and jam through Amy Coney Barrett's nomination, which rightfully should have been another Joe Biden pick.
I am lucky enough to live in Pennsylvania, a state with a Democratic Governor and Attorney General but unfortunately a Republican Controlled Legislature.
Our Attorney General, Josh Shapiro has helped, along with Democratic Governor, Tom Wolfe, to keep the Republican Madmen and Madwomen of the PA State Legislature from totally corrupting our state with Screwball Trumpian inspired Laws. I only hope that Attorney General Shapiro wins the Governor's race in Pennsylvania and that Democrat, John Fetterman wins the U.S. Senate Race in an ongoing march toward Sanity in Pennsylvania Government.
If any of the Trump Ass Kissing Gun Toting Republican Candidates running for Governor or Senate win it is likely that Legal Abortion Rights in Pennsylvania, like those in many other states will be a thing of the past.
In his never ending quest for devotion and love from some of the worst elements of American Society Donald Trump was willing to make and keep a pact with the Devil (Namely, Mitch McConnell) and steal three Supreme Court Nominees that were approved by the Rightest of Right Wing organizations, the Heritage Foundation.
Although all three of Trump's Supreme Court Nominees (Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett) stated emphatically that Roe V Wade was "Established Precedent" what seems clear at the present time is that these Right Wing Nominated Judges may have been lying to the Senators who interviewed them in their Judiciary Committee Hearings and also in individual meetings with Senators not on the judiciary Committee.
To be honest I am hopeful that the Leaked Alito Document is not the last word we will hear from the Supreme Court on Roe Versus Wade. If it is then clearly we are up Shits Creek. But so far the Alito Document is to my mind simply Judge Alito's Opinion and hopefully when the Supreme Court Members see the hornets nest that is about to erupt if and when Roe is overturned in such a cruel manner (No consideration for Rape or incest - Are You kidding me) perhaps the Court will come to its senses.
What is evident at this point in time is that we are seeing hard evidence that Elections Matter. Clearly the Election of Donald Trump in 2016 has had devastating consequences in so many ways but if things stand the way they are now the Three Trump Appointees will be stripping us of our Rights for Many Decades to come.
When Joe Biden was inaugurated one of the first things that he did was to set in motion a study of what to do about the Supreme Court that was scheduled at some point to come up with ideas about what to do about the court. I think the time has come for the Biden Administration to look at the Supreme Court Situation and take drastic action. That drastic action could include nominating as many as three more Supreme Court Judges.
Yes, that drastic action will undoubtedly set off a firestorm in the Republican Party and it may lead to terrible consequences for Democrats but if it sets things right for the court it could be worth the sacrifices.
For as long as I can remember it seemed to me as though The Supreme Court was one of the most Capable and Respected aspects of the United States Government. It seemed to me as though the kinds of people who were on the court were the best people that could be found. When one or another individual was nominated who was not up to par the Senate would do their Advice and Consent duties. Judge Bork, for example, didn't make it on the court. The end result was the fact that in nearly all cases good respected capable people were nominated and approved for the Supreme Court. Clearly that high standard is no longer applicable for Supreme Court Nominees.
Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas have been accused of Sexual Misconduct. Other Individuals may have good qualifications but have shown by their rulings that they are Right Wingers who should not be on the Supreme Court.
Finally, when it comes to Abortion and a Woman's Right to choose and in particular the Supreme Court Roe Versus Wade Decision We should realize that whatever the Supreme Court decides there will be serious consequences in the United States of America. There have indeed already been serious consequences for Women in Texas, where anyone assisting a woman to get an abortion faces the consequence of being sued by anyone in the state who wants to bankrupt the abortion assister. One can only hope that Beto O'Rourke might be elected Governor of Texas and in so doing remove the Neanderthals from Government in Texas like Governor Greg Abbott.
One of my daughters who is very concerned about what happens with Roe V Wade sent me a recent Facebook post that she stated was something sent to her and apparently is going around Facebook right now. I feel that this posting is much more powerful than anything I could write presently to express my feelings about Judge Alito's disturbing document. I appreciate and agree with the following statement that my daughter sent to me on Facebook and I hope that I am not infringing on anybody by using this powerful message in my Blog Post and Podcast. I thank the writer of this incredibly powerful message and fully acknowledge that I didn't write this message although I wish I did and thank the writer for doing so.
Here goes:
"I'm not pro-murdering babies.
I'm Pro Becky who found out at her 20 week anatomy scan that the infant she had been so excited to bring into this world had developed without sustaining organs.
I'm Pro Susan who was sexually assaulted on her way home from work, only to come to the horrific realization that her assailant planted his seed in her when she got a positive pregnancy test result a month later.
I'm Pro Theresa who hemorrhaged due to a placental abruption causing her parents, spouse, and children to have to make the impossible decision on whether to save her or her unborn child.
I'm Pro little Cathy who had her innocence ripped away from her by someone she should have been able to trust and her 11 year old body isn't mature enough to bear the consequence of that betrayal.
I'm Pro Melissa who's working two jobs just to make ends meet and has to choose between bringing another child into poverty or feeding the children she already has because her spouse walked out on her
I'm Pro Brittany who realizes that she is in no way financially, emotionally or physically able to raise a child.
I'm Pro Emily who went through IVF, ending up with SIX viable implanted eggs requiring a selective reduction in order to insure the safety of her and a SAFE amount of fetuses.
I'm Pro Christina who doesn't want to be a mother, but birth control methods sometimes fail.
I'm Pro Jessica who is FINALLY getting the strength to get away from her physically abusive spouse only to find that she is carrying the monster's child.
I'm Pro Vanessa who went into her confirmation appointment after YEARS of trying to conceive only to hear silence where there should be a heartbeat.
I'm Pro Lindsay who lost her virginity in her sophomore year with a broken condom and now has to choose whether to be a teenage mom or just a teenager.
I'm Pro Courtney who just found out that she's already 13 weeks along, but the egg never made it out of her fallopian tube so either she terminates the pregnancy or risks dying from internal bleeding.
You can argue and say that I'm pro-choice all you want but the truth is:
I'm pro-life
Their lives
Women's lives
You don't get to pick and choose which scenarios should be accepted
Women's rights are meant to protect ALL women, regardless of their situation."
My guess is that this powerful statement was written by someone working with women in situations like those listed in the statement, Possibly a Doctor or Nurse. The statement makes it clear that that there is far more to pregnancy and abortions than simply forcing women to have babies, regardless of their circumstances.
Women deserve to make their own choices regarding what does or does not happen with their pregnancies. Women deserve the respect of knowing that what happens with their bodies is their choice along with their doctor and no Doctor, Nurse, Secretary or Uber Driver should ever be threatened with jail or being sued because they helped a woman get an abortion.
We are getting closer and closer to living in a Handmaids Tale existence and no one in their right mind wants that.
I would suggest that anyone who has had to deal with some of the horror stories listed in the previously quoted Facebook Statement on abortion put their stories on You Tube similarly to what was done in the "Me Too" movement.
I would also like to suggest that those of us who are unwilling to live in a real life "Handmaid's Tale" get on the phone to their Senators, especially their Republican Senators and demand that they get busy and codify reasonable Women's Reproductive Rights Legislation now before Samuel Alito's dream becomes a reality.
We should also advise our Reproductive Concerned friends in Congress that instead of only being concerned about keeping a fetus alive that they should give some concern to what happens after a child is born. Republicans seem to give little or no thought to what happens after a child is born.
And while we are at it lets let our Senators know that they should wise up when it comes to Advising and Consenting regarding Supreme Court Judges.
The Rude and Abusive Treatment by some Republican Senators of Judge Katanji Brown in the Judiciary Committee Hearings was disgusting.
The Republicans should have been thrilled that Joe Biden had nominated a highly qualified and distinguished jurist like Judge Jackson for the Supreme Court. Instead they treated her Horribly. She weathered the storm , however, and will soon be joining the court but not in time to prevent this disaster.
Hopefully Joe Biden might consider putting some additional members on the Supreme Court.
I hear that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton might be available.
I certainly hope that the Justices of the Supreme Court realize what an awesome responsibility they have and follow through on their pledges not to overturn the "Established Precedent" that they vowed never to alter in their Judiciary Hearings and meetings with Senators and Members of Congress.
Roe Versus Wade is clearly a Fifty Year Established Precedent and should not be overturned, Ever.
Sincerely Yours
Jerry Gallagher
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