Back in 1993, I arrived in Massachusetts as a 17-year old exchange student. Thanks to television shows like Beverly Hills 90210, I had an idea of what to expect, but it was nevertheless a culture shock to live in a foreign country and try to speak the language of Run DMC and Rapper's Delight. I was fortunate enough to be received by absolutely fantastic host parents; they invited me to their home as a new member of the family. Amazing home cooked meals with three American brothers at the table. I could not have asked for more. I got the all American experience with the yellow school buses, proms, football, and cheerleaders. Due to my host mums direct order, I observed the cheerleaders only from a distance.
The most significant difference was that my American family was born-again Christians. We said grace at the dinner table, went to church every Sunday, and the phrase "God bless" actually meant something. It truly was an extraordinary experience which opened up a whole new perspective. For the first time, I got to know Christians who believed that the bible was the literal word of God. Not surprisingly, I was also introduced to arguments against abortion, comments about detectable electrical activity in the fetal cells, a signal which is sometimes referred to as a fetal heartbeat. Where I came from, questioning the right to have an abortion had never even been a thing. Anyone who has been on social media recently knows that abortion is again: a thing.
The foundation of the abortion debate is the 1973 supreme court decision known as Roe v. Wade. In 1969 a 21-year old Texonian known as Jane Roe got pregnant for the third time. She claimed she had been raped in a desperate attempt to get terminate her pregnancy. Her scheme failed as did her efforts to get an illegal abortion. She was finally introduced to two female attorneys who were looking for a pregnant plaintiff to take them, and the abortion issue, all the way to the Supreme court.
After several years of trials in the lower courts, an all-male supreme court decided with a 7-2 majority that the Fourteenth Amendment provides a fundamental "right to privacy," which therefore gives women the right to have an abortion. Consequently, this limited the state's possibilities to restrict abortions, a devastating blow for the pro-lifers.
Ironically Norma McCorvey who was the real person behind the pseudonym "Jane Roe" later felt that getting involved in this landmark case was the biggest mistake of her life. She later became a dedicated Catholic pro-lifer. She never personally attended a single trial, and she never had an abortion. On her death bed in 2017 she confessed that she got paid up to $450 000 by ultra-conservtive groups for her anti-abortion activity. She also hinted that she voted for Hilary Clinton.
"I took their money and they´d put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say. That´s what I´d say. I did it well too, I am a good actress."
Some backlash was expected, but Roe v. Wade stood fast and was reaffirmed in 1992 in the decision Planned Parenthood Vs. Casey. Few expected it to be challenged a third time. But the conservative pro-lifers never gave up, they slowly gathered strength and moved their weight around in the political arena in favor of the Republican party. Rather than challenging the abortion law directly, they introduced state-level regulations to make it as difficult as possible to get an abortion. In some states, this method has been very effective. They retreated on gay rights but never ceased to push the pro-life agenda. They patiently waited for an opportunity to strike back. Insert Agent Orange.
Some people have wondered how the conservative religious right can look themselves in the mirror while supporting a fraudster and sexual cowboy like Donald Trump. Two reasons: the holy hatred towards Hillary Clinton, and the equally sacred abortion issue. In 2015 they made a deal with the devil, sacrificed Mike Pence, and got on the Trump train; and the orange reincarnation of Jesus has delivered above expectations.
Trump has already been able to pick two supreme court justices and filled the lower courts with conservative judges. Republicans dominate the state legislatures and have a disproportionally high number of U.S. Senators. Due to the demography and the U.S. political system, a Republican vote weighs more in front of the blind lady of justice.
The liberals and right abortion activists are nervously observing the Supreme Court. The pro-choice justice, 86 years old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is most likely to be the next one to die with her boots on and give room for a new Trump nominee. As the liberals are praying to the Great-Spaghetti monster for her electrical activity to keep going, the religious right is already making reservations for her in the burning skin pealing section of hell. If this keeps on going for another five years, America's courts will experience a renaissance like never before.
On May 14th, 2019, Alabama decided that it was go-time; 25 white men passed the strictest abortion legislation America has seen for half a century. When questioned why abortion was not even allowed in cases of rape, the Republican sponsor of the bill Clyde Chambliss reassured that women still have everything available to them "up until they know they are pregnant..." Yes, another uncomfortable day to be a white man.
The law will not take effect for another six months. It will most certainly be challenged, and a lot can happen until D-day. Fundamentally the bill is, of course, designed to challenge Roe v. Wade. Going to battle comes with certain risks. If the conservatives fail for the third time, it might cost them dearly, and the paradise where every sperm is sacred might be lost for good.
It is also a political risk for the Republicans and Donald Trump. Some polls suggest that up to 67% of the Americans believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned other surveys indicates that Americans are pretty much 50/50 when it comes to pro-choice/pro-life. The data concerning the opinions on abortion in the U.S. fluctuates with a margin of about 20% depending on the pollster, how the inquiry was phrased, and in what circumstance the question was asked. What should also be considered is where these supporters vote.
Understandably women in general and feminists, in particular, have been reacting like Daenerys Targaryen in front of the Red Keep: they want blood, preferably the blood of white, old men. The notion that men force down laws on women make their uteruses shoot out bolts of lightning. Battle cries like "War on Women" can be heard everywhere. There is, without a doubt some truth in that statement, but taking a more thorough peek into the fog of war one will see a complex maze of demography, religion, politics, education, counter-intuitive racism, and health care.
The Alabama bill was voted for by women in the state House. A woman, Republican Terri Collins introduced it, and then signed into law by a female governor, Kay Ivey. The bill was also supported by Republican Party Chairwoman Terry Lathan. Thousands of women voted for those 25 white old men, mostly due to their conservative campaign promises. According to the general election data from 2018, women outvoted men in Alabama with 56% to 44%. The majority of Alabamians are pro-life; furthermore, women are more likely to be so than men.
The democratic process most definitely has its flaws, but based on these numbers, one could make the argument that women in Alabama have had the chance to affect who represents them and who writes laws that regard them. There are some potential political hazards in using the battle of the sexes as a pro-choice rallying cry. Likewise, using fake abortion videos and claiming that they are the norm might rebound in the face of the pro-lifers.
Even though states can, and have made it more difficult to get abortions, Roe v. Wade still gives women the right to have an abortion; even in Alabama, at least for now. No matter how hard the conservatives try to ban homosexuality, oral sex, and abortions, these horrors of evil will never go away. Ironically one way to limit abortions would be for the religious right to start encouraging the first two atrocities.
Like so often in U.S. politics, the primary victims will be the poor, especially poor black women. The rich will have affordable contraception available, and when a mistake happens, they will have their illegal high-quality clinics to go to, or they can go for an abortion vacation to California like they used to do in the 60s. The death rate will most likely be pretty much the same; women who have felt forced to have unsafe abortions will just be a more significant portion of the death statistics. An increase in female suicides can also be expected.
The biggest dilemma in the discussion has been the problematic definition of when life begins. If you are convinced that the fetus is a God-given gift of life, then it is understandable that ripping the baby out with a suction catheter is not acceptable. But if you are able to convince yourself that the fetus is just a blob of tissue, a parasite inside the woman, it makes it a bit easier to cope with.
While listening to any political debate, it doesn't take long before everyone involved start screaming at each other: "Save a life" and "A woman's right!" Pretty soon, these two chants begin to sound alike as they pundits squeal in sync on top of their lungs.
The abortion question fits in perfectly in the increasingly polarized political environment. Sometimes the mere suggestion that there might be smart, well-meaning, and loving people on the other side can lead to a flood of strawmen and ad hominem attacks. The wider the abyss becomes between the two groups, the more radical the solutions will be. As the conservative states are gathering their troops for the assault, the liberal states are preparing their defense by pushing for fewer abortion regulations in the third trimester.
The day will come when Trump-economics will tank, and the damage he and his minions have done to the democratic institutions of the United States will be apparent to all. Like always the highest price will be paid by the poor, the minorities and women. Hold on to your hats; it's going to be a bumpy ride.
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