So many people are suddenly writing pieces about how overturning Planned Parenthood v Casey (which is, in fact, the controlling precedent on abortion now), queer marriage, and anti-discrimination laws are a losing strategy for the GOP to put a shiny, happy face on the transformation of SCOTUS.
NO. If you’re tempted to go with this reaction, stop it right the fuck now. We do not sit back and let the Republicans enact hostility and hatred. It’s not even that there’s no truth in the position. Yes, inevitably conservative families will see relatives die. Yes, the 80% of people that support the right to have an abortion in at least some cases do constitute a large majority. Yes, if the 33% who believe that abortion should be legal in most cases and the 24% who believe that it should be legal in at least some cases could truly hurt the GOP if they voted to repudiate the fuckers.
But the implied argument is this: Ireland voted in abortion restrictions with Amendment 8 in 1983, sure, but after 35 years, innumerable hardships, and an uncounted number of deaths Ireland got the sympathetic victim of its anti-abortion policies that allowed them to overturn the provisions in 2018. These things don’t last, they’re saying. We’ll have our Savita Halappanavar, they’re saying. That makes everything okay, they’re saying.
Jesus Fried Chicken, NO!
The fact that we will inevitably have our Savita Halappanavars is exactly what makes this NOT OKAY.
Yes, the GOP has been sowing the seeds of its own destruction for decades now.
Yes, the GOP enjoyed the freedom to vote for abortion restrictions that would never be enforceable, and thus used abortion bills to rally its base while the democratic base remained unenthused because democrats never bothered to stand up and fight, relying on the courts to do their work instead.
Yes, that means that individual GOP members of state legislatures are going to have to make more consequential decisions than they have in the past, they’re going to have to face a higher likelihood of accountability than they have in the past.
THAT DOESN’T MAKE THE LIVES OF WOMEN THE GOP WILL END INTO ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICES.
IT DOESN’T MAKE THE LIVES OF TRANS FOLK WHOM THE GOP MIGHT KILL INTO ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICES.*1
NONE OF THIS IS OKAY.
THERE IS NO SILVER LINING.
*1: I’m well aware that people of other genders may very well die too, but given the total numbers of deaths expected, I don’t feel as comfortable saying that people of other genders are guaranteed to die, whereas demographically the deaths of women are guaranteed.
I was thinking exactly this when I was reading an article on Rawstory about how appointing fascist judges to the SCOTUS will spell doom for the GOP.
Wishful thinking. It might spell the doom, but only because a lot of people will die and a bloody revolution becomes necessary to stop USA becomming third world country.
There is no silver lining. Not even a nickel one.
I’d like to know what the hell this silver lining is supposed to be.
Four years ago (an eternity), I had serious concerns about the US health care system, the social instability brought on by income inequality and the ability of the rich to purchase many forms of government action. Any idea that I could find my ass on a cattle car was ridiculous.
The night of the election, I was up way too late, said “This fucking country” and turned off the TV before getting a solid 2 hours of punctuated sleep. Shortly after that we found the best estate attorney we could get who is familiar with the law relating to gay marriage, and got our assets into living trusts. Just in case.
Today I briefly spit-balled exit strategies with the husband. We’ve got no illusions about how much we’re hated by a small part of the population that is gaining additional power. Uppermost I have in mind the disbelief of targeted groups in 1930s Germany, and their decade-long downward spiral. And, no, I don’t think I’m being alarmist; I can hope for the best while preparing for things to get worse.