Abortion rights have been a hot topic in recent years, now that we live in a post-Roe America.
However, in New Hampshire abortion rights will remain untouched and in Pennsylvania, abortion rights will have a new beginning.
New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) recently reported on a few House of Representatives bills that subsequently failed. One bill is a 15-day ban on abortions and the other, is a constitutional amendment permanently codifying abortion rights, brought up by Keene Rep. Amanda Toll.
Rep. Bob Lynn had commented on Toll’s Amendment saying, “There simply is no threat to abortion rights in this state, despite the never-ending political rhetoric to the contrary and therefore, this proposed constitutional amendment is totally unnecessary.”
Now, I would humbly disagree with Rep. Lynn here as I consider never-ending political rhetoric a potential threat. I know gun owners would feel the same way about gun control rhetoric. I would also like to disagree with other opponents to the amendment bill, who say it was “vague and left too much to a doctor’s discretion,” according to NHPR.
Who do you think should have that discretion? They are paid professionals with a decade of schooling and training. I would hazard a guess and say they make fairly decent medical decisions.
Also, these are the same people who want the government off their backs and out of their lives and there is a good George Carlin quote that sums their position up well, “Backs are no good, but uteruses are fine by them.”
On a lighter note, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled in a landmark case for abortion according to USA Today. The court’s narrow ruling of 3-2, overturned the precedent set by the case Fischer v. Department of Public Welfare that Medicaid money is only used on abortions in cases of rape, incest or health of the mother.
I am glad that the court came down with that ruling. It will give many women in poorer communities the access to important medical care that they deserve to have as an option. I hope this ruling will open up the door to other cases and/or bills that would be able to expand reasonable abortion protections of the women of Pa. Which is what I think is a broader issue with abortion.
There is so much political noise around the topic and I do not think people hear other folks out enough. Conservative politicians and pundits smear liberals as baby killers for supporting abortion rights and on the flipside, Conservatives get smeared for being anti-woman for having reservations against abortion or flat out being against it.
Something that I have noticed with ballot measures in Kentucky and Ohio and in polling is that Americans no matter where on the political spectrum you are, are generally for early-term abortion protections. It is very heartening and hopefully we can continue down this path.
Timothy Fitzpatrick can be contacted at
tfitzpatrick@kscequinox.com
