Happy anniversary, Roe

January 22nd marks the 34th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

The anniversary kicks off abortion protest season. Fundies all across this great nation are are tuning up their megaphones and polishing their dead fetus jars. For the first time in years, protest season is taking place with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate.

So, what's ahead for choice and reproductive rights in 2007?

A few states are trying to lay the legal groundwork to ban abortion, should Roe be overturned. A legislative committee in North Dakota is considering "trigger" legislation that would take effect if Roe were struck down. One bill would ban abortion except to save the mother's life. The other would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion or prescribe emergency contraception. Oklahoma and Texas are also considering trigger legislation.

At the federal level, Democrats seem to be taking a more conciliatory approach to choice.

Federal Dems are focusing on prevention and women's health care, including increasing access to emergency contraception. These reforms are long overdue. There is no meaningful choice without an array of acceptable options.

Democratic Reps. Tim Ryan and Rosa DeLauro are backing a law to increase access to contraception and provide more support for pregnant women who carry to term. Conservative Democrats are touting an alternative version of the bill that doesn't include increased access to contraception.

So far, nobody's talking about using the new Congressional majority to fund abortions for women in the overseas military, or to reverse Bush's idiotic funding restrictions on family planning programs in the developing world. In fairness, the Dems probably don't have the votes to prevail on some of the more controversial measures. The conservative Democrats and the presidential veto sharply constrain what pro-Choice Democrats can do.

Pro-choice activists can look ahead to 2007 with guarded optimism. The Roe itself is safe for the time being. That is, unless the Supreme Court decides that Congress can ban so-called partial birth abortions.

If anything should happen to a Supreme Court justice, the Democrats are well-placed to block another anti-choice nominee. Meanwhile the Dems are also moving forward on women's health care, contraception, and support for women with unintended pregnancies.

So, all in all, it's looking like a pretty good year for reproductive freedom.

Comments

[aeroman]

Kennedy's been cagier than I'd like on his willingness to hold his Casey ground. Don't be terribly sure that the precedent is safe with the current court.

[resimler]

non kennedy's Congressional majority

[Alon Levy]

the Democrats are well-placed to block another anti-choice nominee.

Yeah, but they're not going to do it. The Democrats who voted to confirm Alito are enough to confirm any anti-choice judge Bush nominates, assuming no Republican pulls a Chafee and votes no.

[aeroman]

Alon is right. I have very little confidence that the Senate would do the right thing here.

[Todd Sayre]

So this "'trigger' legislation" is like the Gambit system from Final Fantasy XII. That amuses me so much.