Red State AGs Are Giving Themselves The Right To Make Abortion Illegal In Blue States
States' rights? Never heard of it.
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A little over 160 years ago, white southern bigots got all up in their feels and started a little fight with their northern neighbors. You might know this as “The Civil War?” According to today’s white southern bigots, that war was all about “states’ rights” and how no one has the legal or moral authority to tell individual states how to run their affairs, certainly not any mean ol’ federal government.
Which makes one wonder why white southern bigots have suddenly glommed on to the idea that a state, not the federal government but a state, can dictate what is or is not legal in a different state:
In Alabama, abortion is prohibited, except where there is a serious risk to maternal health. But in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Marshall threatened to prosecute anyone who helped Alabama women obtain abortions elsewhere, asserting that could amount to a “criminal conspiracy” under state law.
“An elective abortion performed in Alabama would be a criminal offense; thus, a conspiracy formed in the State to have that same act performed outside the State is illegal,” Marshall asserted in court papers.
That’s not how the United States of America works. That’s not how any of this works.
Alabama does not have jurisdiction over what happens in Virginia or Indiana or any other goddamn place. Alabama has jurisdiction over Alabama. Once you cross state lines, the laws of the state you just left no longer apply. It has to be that way or it would be absolute chaos.
But Republicans are fascists who truly believe they have the God-given right to impose their will on everyone at all times. Texas, for instance, is trying to make it illegal to use interstate roads to travel for an abortion. Because stripping women of every single right they have, including the right to travel, was always the point.
I’m old enough to remember in 2020, long before Roe was overturned, this is exactly what we predicted Republicans would do and they howled in protest.
Here we are, four years later and this commercial is literally what the GOP is trying to make a reality. Funny how when this ad came out, the press rolled their eyes. Like they always do.
One wonders, though, if these rules can be applied to things that Republicans like? Could Utah, a state dominated by Mormons, make the sale of alcohol illegal in Texas because that’s their religious belief? Pretty sure Texans would be unamused by this.
Could New York crack down on the purchase of guns in other states that have lax gun laws? Why, that would be an infringement of rights!
Could California make it illegal to buy gas-powered cars in Nevada because only EVs are allowed on their roads? Why not? No such thing as states’ rights according to Republicans. It’s just a free-for-all now where everyone gets to impose their values on everyone else.
Of course, none of that would work and Republicans are clearly hoping the corrupt Republican extremists on the Supreme Court will sign off on their egregious assault on our civil rights. Will they? Maybe. They’ve been more than willing to give Republicans everything they want when it comes to punishing women for having a uterus.
Then again, the Republican Justices are political animals and are quite aware of how much damage their Dobbs ruling is doing to the party. They might hold off on any more attacks on women until after the election. If fascism wins, though, they’ll be completely unchecked and they will run wild.
Then again, even if (when) Biden wins, the Republicans on the Court may decide to do as much damage as they can while they still have the power to do so. Their priority is helping Republicans win but their next priority is enacting the Republican agenda, rule of law and Constitution be damned.
What Alabama is trying to do is not an outlier. This is the kind of lunacy we are fighting. We have six months to beat these fucking freaks or this is the future for all of us.
There are 171 days until the 2024 election. Vote blue like your life depends on it.
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Before the civil war, slave states gave rights to send slavers into abolitionist states to retrieve “property.” Women have entered that “property” zone
I love your analogy of selling alcohol, since that hits where so many can feel it. No bud light for you bubba.
There are counties and jurisdictions in Texas that have outlawed using segments of federal highways for the purpose of transporting someone out of state for an abortion. I am completely unclear on whether or not anyone can restrict the use of any public road, so I’m interested in replies here. I’m especially interested if this can be done with federal highways. (I couldn’t find a map that showed both these restrictions and locations of airports so I can’t tell if those are specifically targeted.)
Next, women will need permission from their husband or father to travel at all? What about a dress code, outside of schools or jobs? Will these red states decide “immodest” clothing stored in an Amazon warehouse in their state can’t be shipped to another state?