McCain: No choice for women


Consider the legally protected (for now) reproductive rights of women. Any women under the age of 40 can be forgiven for assuming "it was always like this" and will always be like this. After all, many take it for granted that "choice" means deciding which type of birth control to use.
The reality is quite different. The reproductive rights women take for granted hang by a slender thread. Unlike the legal rights of African Americans to citizenship or voting, the reproductive rights of women are not protected by any constitutional amendment or acts of congress specifically drafted for their benefit. Reproductive rights are protected only by a handful of Supreme Court rulings. Over the years there has been a constant campaign to undo these gains. In recent years, these attacks have all been held back by narrow 5-4 decisions.
John McCain has been accused of pandering, flip-flopping, and opportunistic embrace. There is plenty of evidence to support those charges on many issues. However, on the issue of Roe v. Wade, McCain has held the same position for 20 years. He has never been shy about it. He has never wavered. He has never modified it.
Any woman over the age of 40 who even considers supporting his candidacy should realize her vote will enable a sea change in America that will consign her, her daughters, and her grand daughters to a second-class status. That is not an overstatement. If you think such an outrageous reversal of fortune is impossible, I have one word for you: Reconstruction.
Consider this timeline of Civil Rights in America:
1866: Congress passes Civil Rights Act over the veto of President Johnson
1868: Congress ratifies the 14th Amendment guaranteeing blacks cannot be disenfranchised.
1870: Congress ratifies the 15th Amendment guaranteeing blacks the right to vote.
1875: Supreme Court rules the right to assembly is not guaranteed at the state level
1876: Supreme Court rules poll taxes are legal.
1896: Supreme Court rules segregation legal.
100 years after the 1st Civil Rights Act, things return to where they were shortly after the end of the Civil War.
1964: President Johnson signs Civil Rights Act.
1966: Congress ratifies 24th Amendment banning poll taxes
Defending choice while you have it is a lot easier than trying to regain it once you lose it.
KEYWORDS: John McCain, Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court, abortion, reproductive rights, barefoot and pregnant, choice, mything the point
Sign up for a Complimentary Member Account... Join the community! It's fast. And it'll allow you to take advantage of all this site's great features!
| < An Army of Builders | How Can Tourism Lead Peace? > |



