Abortion & Contraception Rights Under Attack

[Bact PhD]

Bold mine.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement that there has been "heightened security" at the homes of justices since last month.

"I call on leaders in both parties in Washington to strongly condemn these actions in no uncertain terms. It is vital to our constitutional system that the justices be able to carry out their duties without fear of violence against them and their families," said Hogan, a Republican.

the justices…
the legislators…
the bureaucrats…
the school board members…
the election officials…
(Ad infinitum)

[goldenvalley]

Jun 8, 2022 16:23:19 GMT LFC said:

Right-wing terrorism is starting to appear on the left. That's just ... great.

An armed man was arrested near Brett Kavanaugh's Maryland home after making threats against the Supreme Court justice, according to a court spokesperson.

The man was arrested at about 1:50 a.m. ET Wednesday, the spokesperson said. He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District. Montgomery County police say the man arrested is from California.

There has been a rise in threats against the court amid the national abortion rights debate and protests that have taken place across the US. The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo last month warning law enforcement that there are potential threats to members of the Supreme Court after a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.

The memo also said Supreme Court police have noticed a major uptick in social media threats of violence, with some currently under investigation. Some of those threats have been directed at the justices and the court building, which is now surrounded by fencing.

The arrest happened hours before the justices were scheduled to issue more rulings in the final weeks of the annual session.

Terrorism is terrorism no matter what ideology purports to inspire it.  Maybe the right will take gun safety more seriously if they see that everybody can buy guns and use them to menace people.

[pnwguy]

Jun 8, 2022 16:23:19 GMT LFC said:

Right-wing terrorism is starting to appear on the left. That's just ... great.

An armed man was arrested near Brett Kavanaugh's Maryland home after making threats against the Supreme Court justice, according to a court spokesperson.

The man was arrested at about 1:50 a.m. ET Wednesday, the spokesperson said. He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District. Montgomery County police say the man arrested is from California.

There has been a rise in threats against the court amid the national abortion rights debate and protests that have taken place across the US. The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo last month warning law enforcement that there are potential threats to members of the Supreme Court after a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.

The memo also said Supreme Court police have noticed a major uptick in social media threats of violence, with some currently under investigation. Some of those threats have been directed at the justices and the court building, which is now surrounded by fencing.

The arrest happened hours before the justices were scheduled to issue more rulings in the final weeks of the annual session.

That provides a week’s worth of counter programming content for Fox hosts while they ignore the Jan 6 hearings.

[LFC]

The residents of D.C. may find their abortion rights taken away by Congressional Republicans.

With the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, many have already started scratching out the calculus to determine where abortion access will be protected, and where it’s endangered.

In the usual respects, Washington D.C. fits the bill of a guaranteed abortion safe haven: it dependably hovers at the top of lists ranking the most liberal cities, with 92 percent of the city’s vote going to President Joe Biden in 2020. Most local elections are decided in the Democratic primaries.

The city’s abortion laws largely reflect its inhabitants’ politics. Abortion is legal in the district in all three trimesters of pregnancy, and the city has some of the least restrictive access to the procedure in the country.

Except — in most cases, D.C. taxpayer money cannot be used to subsidize abortions for women on Medicaid, a significant barrier for the often low-income and disabled people the program covers.

That stipulation came not from the city itself, but from across the country: Former Rep. Robert Dornan (R-CA) initially offered the amendment to D.C.’s budget in 1988, and it has usually been attached since. It’s in effect currently, though the amendment has occasionally been lifted during periods of national Democratic control.

Dornan is just one of many Republicans who have tried, with varying levels of success, to interfere with the district’s self governance. Theoretically, Congress’ power to do so is expansive, though the Senate filibuster often dissuades GOP lawmakers from proactively passing new laws directed specifically at D.C.. But lawmakers find other ways to impose their policy preferences on the city.

“It is usually budgetary and through appropriations because, normally, the Senate is a more difficult house to get such matters through,” Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), the district’s longtime non-voting delegate in Congress, told TPM.

Republicans don’t restrict their manipulation of D.C. laws to abortion: they have also periodically banned public funding of the city’s needle exchange program, pumped in money for a GOP-favored private school voucher program that the then-mayor opposed and sustained a ban on selling recreational marijuana despite the will of the district’s voters.

“There have been plenty of times when Republicans have something on the agenda that they’re not able to pass nationwide, but are able to use D.C. as a guinea pig,” at-large city councilmember Christina Henderson (I) told TPM.

But on abortion, even symbolic attempts to hew back the city’s permissiveness come like clockwork. Norton expects the barrage yearly, usually corresponding with the anti-abortion March for Life.

[LFC]

Josh Marshall lays out how to put abortion front and center in the upcoming elections.

So there it is. Entirely expected and yet still shocking to see in the full light of day. As I wrote last month here and reiterated in this Times oped earlier this month, this is the one path to reviving Roe’s protections. Get 48 Senators on the record clearly and publicly promising to pass a Roe law in January 2023 and change the filibuster rules to make that possible. That puts abortion rights and Roe protections clearly on the ballot. It’s not a certain path by any means. But it is certainly the only path available right now.

Addendum: I had pulled back a bit on trying to figure out just where every senator stood because as long as the decision wasn’t 100% official it was premature. Premature in the sense that it wasn’t really possible for voters to apply maximum pressure. Now’s the time.

[LFC]

13 states have trigger laws. They're all right-wing shitholes, of course.

13 States Have ‘Trigger’ Abortion Bans On The Books

13 states have laws on the books that automatically go into effect and will ban abortion within 30 days now that SCOTUS has overturned Roe:

Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

[LFC]

Texas's criminal still in office, AG Ken Paxton, gave employees the day off to celebrate the destruction of Roe v Wade. He wants it to be an annual holiday in his office.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent employees home on Friday to “celebrate” the overturning of Roe. v Wade, according to an email sent throughout the agency.

In the email, Paxton said the day will be an annual holiday at the state agency “to commemorate the sanctity of life.”

“Today we celebrate life and the protection of the unborn with the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade,” the email said.

The Office of the Attorney General offices will be closed for the day and employees should plan not to work after noon, the email said.

“Attorney General Paxton and the entire Executive Leadership Team wish you and your families a safe and enjoyable ‘Sanctity of Life’ holiday,” the email said.

[goldenvalley]

Not that I'm conspiracy minded and knowing that the release of the Supreme Court decimation of the right to privacy was imminent, it is awfully convenient that the release was today...wiping the Select Committee revelations off the front pages.   Not that Trump cares about abortion but his followers do as do all his little henchmen who need some cover.

[andydp]

[LFC]

It sounds like many Republicans are playing duck and cover on their victory. Here's a piece on Republican governors mealy-mouthing about states' rights and doing anything they can to avoid talking about the actual topic and the real world outcomes of banning abortion.

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Sunday shrugged off the dire consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade by repeatedly touting that states decide on citizens’ access to abortion.

On Friday, Supreme Court justices voted 5-4 to reject Roe, and 6-3 along party lines to uphold Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban in the underlying case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In the 213-page decision, Justice Clarence Thomas urged the Court to revise other landmark decisions that protect rights to same-sex marriage, conducting private sex acts and access to contraception.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Arkansas’ trigger law banning abortion went into effect, banning abortions except if the pregnant person’s life is in danger. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Those who perform abortions in the state face up to 10 years in prison.

Appearing on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press,” Hutchinson said he “preferred a different outcome” when asked about his state’s abortion ban lacking an exception for cases of rape and intent. The Arkansas governor also insisted that rights to contraception and same-sex marriage are not at risk, before going on to argue that the Supreme Court’s ruling was “very appropriate” because each state supposedly has different circumstances when it comes to the need for abortion access.

This Rep from Illinois was quite a bit more vocal, accidentally saying the quiet part out loud.

Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) has come under fire after she thanked former President Trump for appointing conservative judges who cast crucial votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, a ruling that she praised as a “historic victory for white life” during a Trump rally in Illinois on Saturday night.

“President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday,” Miller said in her speech, with Trump standing behind her.

Miller clapped her hands shortly after the remark, which was met with applause and cheers from Trump supporters in the crowd.

And then there's Sarah. Poor, poor Sarah. What a pathetic little ninny.

QUESTION: Did the tweet show up here for others? It doesn't show up for me all of a sudden but that could be my office's gateway.

[LFC]

It's no wonder Republicans don't want to celebrate their victory anyplace it's not completely safe. The polling on this issue isn't remotely in their favor outside of their primaries.

The American public is rendering its initial judgment on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and most disapprove of the ruling, including two-thirds of women who disapprove.

By more than a 20-point margin, Americans call it a step backward rather than forward for America. And women, by more than three to one, think the ruling will make women's lives worse rather than better.

[LFC]

A number of companies are stepping up on this issue and offering travel benefits to their employees. See the link for the growing list.

fter the Supreme Court ruled on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, corporate giants from a range of industries pledged to provide support and financial assistance for employees — and, in some cases, their dependents — seeking abortions in states that outlaw the procedure.

In response, corporations, some with headquarters or offices in Republican-controlled states, are taking action. Companies such as Citigroup (C), Salesforce (CRM) and Match Group (MTCH) first promised financial support to employees seeking abortions in affected states after a draft version of the opinion leaked in May. Many more followed suit on Friday. Some, including Bumble and Lyft, also previously said they would donate to organizations that support women's rights, such as Planned Parenthood and Fund Texas Choice.

Corporate America is increasingly being drawn from the political sidelines on the abortion issue in response to pressure from investors, customers and employees. Companies are also struggling to attract and retain talent, and worry about the impact these states' anti-abortion laws could have on their workers.

[LFC]

As expected the right-wing goes violent. Too many have overdosed on their drug of choice, right-wing media outrage, and they are no longer able to function in a sane manner.

A handful of pro-choice protesters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were injured on Friday after a truck driver ran straight into them even as people raised their hands to beg the driver to stop. The driver reportedly ran over a woman’s ankle, sending her to the hospital, while other women were injured from falling on the ground.

The entire incident was caught on tape, showing how the truck kept driving even as it collided with two protesters. Others quickly ran after the car in an attempt to get it to stop, but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, the truck drove off. According to multiple reports and eyewitness accounts, the protesters were crossing the street at a legal crosswalk when the truck driver, who was waiting behind a red light, decided to swerve ahead of the cars in front of him and went straight for the protesters. “He tried to murder them,” local journalist Lyz Lenz told HuffPost. “These women see him coming and a bunch of people put their hands out to stop him. And he just keeps going.” Cedar Rapids City Councilmember Ashley Vanorny was also present during the attack, and said that she was not aware of any evidence that the truck driver was politically motivated. “They just seemed to be impatient and had, in my opinion, blatant disregard for human life,” she told local news KWWL.

And in the ultimate WTF moment...

The Cedar Rapids Police Department investigated the incident and reportedly interviewed the driver that very night. The driver has not been charged. Last year, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill that gave certain drivers immunity from civil lawsuits if they injured people who were “participating in a protest, demonstration, riot, or unlawful assembly or who is engaging in disorderly conduct and is blocking traffic in a public street.” The bill does not protect drivers acting with “reckless or willful misconduct,” but critics have worried about what that means in practice.

Republicans, legalizing murder of their political opponents from Florida to Iowa.

[AnBr]

[LFC]

The religious zealots who are attacking abortion also attack sex education that could prevent pregnancy. It really is all about controlling women sexually and keep them in their place under the patriarchy.

Sex education is a target of the same politics that threatens abortion access

First, let’s be clear that what we mean when we talk about comprehensive sex education is sex ed that hinges on a deep understanding of physical and sexual autonomy. This type of sex ed helps prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, in contrast with the abstinence-focused “sexual risk avoidance” programs that do not. The educators I spoke with are all proponents and teachers of comprehensive sex education.

Many of the educators I spoke with see the assault on abortion access as part of a much broader, long-term strategy geared toward consolidating white male power. That strategy also includes anti-trans legislation, book bans, and efforts to do away with medically accurate sex education, said Michelle Slaybaugh, a former school sex educator who directs social impact and communications at SIECUS, a nonprofit comprehensive sex ed advocacy organization.

All of those movements have something in common, said Slaybaugh: “It’s about controlling women’s bodies,” she said. “When you don’t know about your body, you cannot make decisions that will allow you opportunities to advance.”

In contrast to “sexual risk avoidance” education, which focuses on sexual abstinence as prevention, comprehensive sex education is medically accurate, inclusive of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, and focused on giving learners a sense of autonomy — that their bodies and behaviors are under their control. While the more comprehensive approach is proven to reduce teen pregnancy, it isn’t a requirement in most states. (According to SIECUS, only 11 states mandate school-based sex education and require that it be medically accurate when taught. That said, there are a lot of ways sex ed can be categorized — see this chart — and overall, the sex education picture in the US is an inconsistent patchwork.)

Where good sex education does exist, it often faces attacks. In 2021, state legislators across the US proposed 23 bills seeking to restrict sex education, by requiring an emphasis on abstinence-only programming, making the content “opt-in,” or in other ways. The political reality is that political movements that denounce abortion also denounce comprehensive sex ed: States that restrict comprehensive sex ed are more likely to also restrict abortion.

And if you thought the anti-abortion crowd was in the minority, the freaks who are in an all out attack to destroy comprehensive sex education are an even smaller minority. Still they are demanding that THEY get the choice, not everybody else. And they're getting on school boards to get their theocratic views implemented.

High-quality sex ed is still extremely popular among teachers, students, and parents

Although some conservative lawmakers are working hard to get abstinence-only messaging into school health classes, they may be out of step with even conservative voters in right-leaning states, who have historically favored comprehensive, medically accurate sex education.

In a 2018 survey from the Public Religion Research Institute, more than half of Republicans surveyed agreed that comprehensive sex education is more effective than abstinence-focused education at lowering youth rates of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Two separate polls conducted in 2013 showed that 90 percent of residents in deeply red South Carolina supported comprehensive sex education, and in North Carolina, 72 percent of parents favored teaching students about birth control. The pattern has repeated itself in other broadly conservative states.

More recently, a boom in state legislation has given parents and other community members the power to censor the educational content that schools provide on the basis of ideological objections. Many of these bills have already led schools to avoid teaching age-appropriate content on LGBTQ sexuality, a cornerstone of comprehensive sex ed.

But on these bills, too, right-leaning elected officials may be more conservative than their own constituents. Nationally, parents — even conservative ones — are split on support for this kind of legislation: In a recent Morning Consult poll of parents, one-quarter of Republicans supported teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity. Meanwhile, 58 percent of Democrats and 38 percent of independents favored teaching on these issues in schools.

If parents want to see their children get medically accurate sex ed in school, “it’s now time for them to move their feet,” said Slaybaugh. “Go to the board meeting, voice your opinion, advocate.”

[LFC]

A look at just how f***ed up this all is. No wonder the Republicans don't want to talk about the consequences of their actions. They haven't thought any of this through and have probably intentionally avoided most of it to avoid pissing off the most wild-eyed of the religious zealots.

By the same token, most abortion bans would carve out exceptions if the health of the mother were in jeopardy. But whether a complication represents a life-threatening risk to the mother’s health is in part a judgment call on the part of her doctor — and the possibility of legal consequences could make the cost of mistakes much higher.

“At the very least, there may well be a chilling effect due to providers’ and patients’ uncertainty as to whether treatment could expose them to civil or criminal liability,” Banker said.

Fetal personhood laws that convey constitutional protections to unborn fetuses would further limit a pregnant person’s choices in medical care. Several states have attempted to pass such a law, but they have thus far been held up by the courts. This new post-Roe jurisprudence could embolden those states and others to put such measures into place. Law enforcement or private citizens, depending on the state law, could bring complaints. The recently signed Texas law, for example, deputizes private citizens by creating a financial incentive for them to take civil action against people who seek or provide abortions.

Or, in a less extreme example, what happens if a pregnant person is also receiving cancer treatment or taking mental health medication that could affect the health of their fetus? If they stop receiving that medical care, their health could be in danger. But if they continue to receive it, the fetus could be affected. What are they and their doctor supposed to do?

“The laws that criminalize abortion are going to impact medical decision-making, and that’s terrifying,” Banker said.

Supporters of abortion rights fear that, unchained by the Supreme Court, states could push deeper and deeper into the lives of pregnant women and the decisions they make about how to conduct themselves.

Shorter Religious Freaks: "STFU and carry that baby to term at all costs, incubator!"

[LFC]

Republicans continue to duck and weave flat out lie about the impact of their packed SCOTUS decision. The first one featured is RonJohn who is expected to be a hammerhead but this one is out of Nevada.

Now there’s Adam Laxalt in Nevada. He’s challenging Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Here’s the statement he released. Note the desperate attempt at changing the subject.

My statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade: pic.twitter.com/j87yCgLrun
— Adam Paul Laxalt – US Senate Candidate (@adamlaxalt) June 24, 2022

When he was the state’s attorney general he used his office to join various lawsuits aimed at curtailing or ending abortion rights across the country. Here he lauds the decision as “a historic victory for the sanctity of life” and then goes on to say that Nevadans are way pro-choice and that’s not going to change. So none of this will ever affect us, he suggests. This is, to put it mildly, not a coherent position, especially since a GOP Senate majority will likely vote to ban abortion nationwide as soon as January 2025. Any Democratic candidate should be able to drive a truck through that ridiculous position.

[pnwguy]

Jun 27, 2022 18:11:13 GMT LFC said:

Shorter Religious Freaks: "STFU and carry that baby to term at all costs, incubator!"

"So we can then abandon any interest in the baby's survival or well being"

[goldenvalley]

As a young person I concluded that these right wingers who carry on about "pro life" really just use the pregnancy and baby to punish women for having sex. Why punish? My theory is that there is some deep psychological something in some men that worries that women have some mysterious power...who is burned for being a witch?  A woman is.  Who somehow produces a live human being from her body? A woman does.  Nothing rational but something that comes from an inchoate feeling of being bested by a woman.  Sort of like an incel's motivation...they are angered by a woman's ability.

[pnwguy]

Jun 27, 2022 15:10:48 GMT LFC said:

An almost 60/40 disapproval?  That's the entire point of voter suppression, gerrymandering, and minority rule.  It's the GOP equivalent of "let them eat cake".  And if the 60% want to rise up, they are ready to "stand up" their gun nuts and militia cos-players to thin the opposition.  Call 1-800-GOP-CASH to line up your pardon for your patriot work.  

[jackd]

But will they vote? Somehow they don't seem to see the connection.

[goldenvalley]

Jun 28, 2022 1:58:36 GMT jackd said:

But will they vote? Somehow they don't seem to see the connection.

Good question.  People have opinions on lots of things but don't act on them.  And if they do vote will it be because of abortion or because of gas prices?  

[LFC]

These people are soooo effed up.

Nobody’s Safe

In little-noticed remarks hours after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) told reporters that his state’s abortion ban shouldn’t be changed to include an exception for victims of rape and incest, even for 12-year-old incest victims impregnated by their fathers, because “Every life is valuable.” Gunn’s remarks didn’t get much pickup locally until yesterday.

• Gunn was also annoyed at reporters for ruining this special day for him with all this forced-child-incest-pregnancy talk:

“I want today to be about the fact that we have seen an end to abortion in this country. These other things that y’all are talking about are certainly things we can talk about moving forward. I do not want those things to detract from the significance of this day. I’m afraid if we get too far afield from what we’re talking about today, that will overshadow the significance of this day.”

[LFC]

How many more stories like this will we be hearing? This one is particularly egregious. Bonus vomit points in bold.

When the Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion last week, Republican lawmakers in Congress wasted no time celebrating the ruling.

But in the din of countless statements, tweets, and posts that Republicans released praising the end of Roe v. Wade, there was a conspicuous silence from one: Rep. Scott DesJarlais.

It’s not that the Tennessee Republican opposed the court’s decision. He campaigned on anti-abortion policy, proudly called himself “100 percent” anti-abortion, and is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.

It just might be that DesJarlais isn’t exactly the best messenger on this particular topic.

In 2012, it came out that DesJarlais had urged his pregnant mistress to get an abortion—a stunning revelation that was caught on tape—and that his ex-wife had two abortions herself.

It was one of the wildest political scandals of that era, but somehow, DesJarlais kept getting elected in his deep-red Tennessee district. He has since claimed that God has “forgiven” him for his actions, not just the voters.

What was that whole thing about not knowing the mind of God(tm)?

[goldenvalley]

Jun 30, 2022 19:12:02 GMT LFC said:

How many more stories like this will we be hearing? This one is particularly egregious. Bonus vomit points in bold.

When the Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion last week, Republican lawmakers in Congress wasted no time celebrating the ruling.

But in the din of countless statements, tweets, and posts that Republicans released praising the end of Roe v. Wade, there was a conspicuous silence from one: Rep. Scott DesJarlais.

It’s not that the Tennessee Republican opposed the court’s decision. He campaigned on anti-abortion policy, proudly called himself “100 percent” anti-abortion, and is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.

It just might be that DesJarlais isn’t exactly the best messenger on this particular topic.

In 2012, it came out that DesJarlais had urged his pregnant mistress to get an abortion—a stunning revelation that was caught on tape—and that his ex-wife had two abortions herself.

It was one of the wildest political scandals of that era, but somehow, DesJarlais kept getting elected in his deep-red Tennessee district. He has since claimed that God has “forgiven” him for his actions, not just the voters.

What was that whole thing about not knowing the mind of God(tm)?

I keep remembering Jimmy Carter admitting to committing adultery in his heart to Playboy.  Religious politicians have come a long way from that.