Roe V. Wade
Mood: slightly irritated
With new Supreme Court justices and nominees to the court itself, many Americans are asking, "what's going to happen to Roe v. Wade?" I am what I like to call a "news enthusiast." I will read the same story eight different times because eight different news programs or newspapers or blog sites will cover the same story. Here's what I know (or at least what I think I know) about how the Supreme Court works. I don't think the Supreme Court can randomly decide on its own to overturn a previous ruling. From what I understand, there has to be a case that the high court is hearing that deals with the issue at hand. The court can then rule laws unconstitutional, or can over-turn a previous ruling, setting its own precedent then. So as far as the 'pro-choice' people are concerned, The Roe v. Wade decision is safe until there's a case about abortion brought to the Supreme Court. I think that's how it works, if not then I apologize. The only other way that Roe V. Wade can be over turned is if the Congress of the United States passes an amendment that is anti-abortion, and I don't think that will happen any time soon. An amendment would be the most concrete way that politicians can assure longevity when it comes to an issue. The Supreme Court can't rule an amendment to the constitution unconstitutional because that's an oxy-moron. Obviously any law passed by congress without an amendment to the constitution could and would be ruled unconstitutional due to the court's current standing on the abortion issue.
OK now here's for my whole outlook on Roe v. Wade. I think abortion is wrong. I believe that abortion should only be allowed in the case of rape or when the mother's life is at risk. As for pregnant teenagers who just didn't use protection-you're own damn fault. As for pregnant adults who were on the pill or used some other form of protection such as a condom-there are warnings on the boxes and labels that say that there is a risk of pregnancy even if you use protection-deal with the consequences. Women who are married and just don't want to have a kid-that's your husband's child too, I don't think it's fair to say "Hey I know you might want this baby but too damn bad it's my body." It's not the husband's fault that he himself cannot carry that child. You can't blame the pregnancy on him saying, "He knocked me up." If I understand the act of sex correctly, it's a tango for two. Obviously that rule doesn't apply to rape because the woman did NOT agree to the sex. There should NEVER be a case of teenage pregnancy abortion (that's not the result of rape) without parent notification. As for the whole, "it's my body" argument: there is another living being inside your uterus, it depends on you for survival, but so does an infant. If you all of a sudden don't want to feed your newborn baby, you can't stop feeding it because that's criminal negligence. It's not the fetus' (or as I like to say baby) fault that you had sex. When you have sex you know that there's a chance of pregnancy. I mean, after all the whole point of sexual reproduction is to reproduce.
OK, this is my last beef for the day when it comes to Roe v. Wade and the pro-choice, pro-life deal. A pro-life bus recently went through our campus. On the side of the bus were pictures of aborted fetuses next to a dime to show how big the fetus was and how it still had human features. The pictures were grotesque and grisly but they got the point across. Pro-choicers wrote to the campus newspaper, which of course printed the pictures even though they were "horrifying," like mad the next day saying that this somehow infringed upon their rights. Last time I check the pro-lifers have rights too. Freedom of speech is one of them. Pro-lifers can have whatever they want on that bus. If you say, well that picture is disgusting and harsh and doesn't speak to the positive aspects of abortion. Positive aspects of abortion??? OK, in the case of rape, abortion still is not positive.
People, abstention is the only method that guarantees you will not have an unwanted pregnancy. I know sexually open young America doesn’t want to hear that but it’s true. If you don’t want to get pregnant or have any remote chance of getting pregnant, then don’t have sex. I’m not saying that from a religious standpoint, I’m just saying scientifically it’s the only guaranteed method.
Links:
http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/08/4372079d2c6ef?in_archive=1
http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/15/437b435073dd2
http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/13/43796512213aa
http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/12/437815f8a5ea7
http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/08/4372cab1f093e?in_archive=1
Also the Roe vs Wade decision has been questioned since the day it was ruled on. I don\'t understand why when a ruling is a liberal ruling, why it is the right decision. But when conservatives want to change a ruling, the liberals cry foul. I believe that if the courts find it abortion unconstitutional, it is because it was the right decision for the courts to make. Maybe we made a mistake the first time.