Many people are pointing out a contradiction between those who say “my body, my choice” for abortion while also advocating vaccine mandates
But I contend that there is no contradiction. The two positions are remarkably consistent, but you have to understand that the principle being advocated is not the one you suppose. The principle actually goes like this: “My body, my choice” and “Your body, my choice.” In other words, the speaker always gets to decide – for self and for everyone.
That sounds like I mean it to be tongue-in-cheek, and I do – but only partially. I’m also serious, because the people Thomas Sowell calls The Anointed believe they know best, and that what they want either for self or others should be the rule. The principle is not “every person gets to decide what happens to his or her body” – it’s not “my body my choice and your body your choice.” It’s “my choice, period.”
Pro-abortion advocates are also ignoring or minimizing a simple fact about pregnancy that makes it different from a woman’s usual state, which is that her body is now housing the body of another human being. When that other body becomes fully human, and what being human even means, is neither simple nor universally accepted. That is why debating abortion by talking about “my body” is sophistry.
As far as the Texas Heartbeat Law goes, I’ve already said I think the fact that it allows anyone to sue a provider who does abortions after six weeks (or without checking for a heartbeat) makes it very weak legally. And the six-week limit makes it weak in the practical sense, because that really does mean that a lot of women who want abortions will be barred from them in Texas. It’s not a good way to attack Roe, if that’s the intent.
As far as my own views on abortion go, I’ve stated them in many previous posts: for example, here as well as here.
Right. Your body your choice. So choose to get Doc to prescribe some birth control meds to obviate the need to “choose” the alternative of abortion.
The ancient Spartan Ephors were the ancestors of contemporary Iceland’s bragging about how they’ve eliminated Down’s Syndrome through pre-natal testing followed by abortion. The Ephors (all male) checked out each newborn Spartan child (forget about the Helots) to see if the male infants were fit to grow up to be soldiers. They’d check the female infants to insure they’d grow up to be responsible keepers of the Oikos (household). If the newborns didn’t measure up, they’d get thrown off a cliff. Planned Parenthood is the age of Thermopylae.
I think this is part of the Me Me Me attitude that is ruining our society. All of the traditional roles women filled were diminished, in the same way that men who build bridges and farm are not seen as worthy of any status.
I gave up on feminism very early on because the feminists I was seeing had no respect for all of the grandmothers, great aunts, and others I had grown up around. I also knew women with no fancy college degrees who moved up to small business owners. And then there were the teachers and similar people who weren’t trying to become CEOs.
Now all the work that keeps our society together is gone, especially parenthood. The whole My Body My Choice movement means that loads of these people won’t have any family visiting them in nursing homes or driving the to go shopping when they can no longer navigate.
We need to think about what kind of society we want. I personally would like to keep more of what we used to have.
The rationale advanced for mandatory vaccinations is to curtail the spread of the virus. However, at least in America, every adult who wants to receive vaccinations has had plenty of time to avail themselves of “free” vaccinations. Children of course are at such miniscule risk that it’s statistically insignificant.
So ALL unvaccinated adults have consciously decided to take the risk of infection. They cannot place at risk those who are vaccinated, as vaccines are protection from the disease they target.
So there is no rational reason for mandatory vaccinations.
But as we all know, it’s not about health but using fear to gain control and damaging the middle class. The purpose of which is to increase government dependency.
You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Suddenly Laurence Tribe, Obama’s old Harvard law prof, is worried about the Constitution:
________________________________
Roe v Wade died with barely a whimper. But that’s not all
It wasn’t just Roe that died at midnight on 1 September with barely a whimper, let alone a bang. It was the principle that nobody’s constitutional rights should be put on sale for purchase by anyone who can find an informant or helper to turn in whoever might be trying to exercise those rights.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/02/roe-v-wade-texas-abortion-law-us-constitution
@Neo:
Re your comments on legal weakness of the Texas law, I’m unqualified to comment. So naturally I will.
Is there not something rather smart about what has been done here? The intent seems to be to enable crowd-sourcing of legal actions against abortionists and make it easier for right wing individuals and NGOs to have at them in a Punishment is the Process manner? Plus scare off malpractice insurance providers. If so, then someone has finally woken up and learned from some of the tactics of the Left. As long as things don’t go kinetic, there ought to be some cynical / pragmatic jujitsu to working with the legal system (and activist judges) you have, not the ones dreamed about in old time civics class.
Of course if it works at scale, they will find a way to strike it down.. but that just draws them out further. Which is good, too.
@Huxley:
And in headlines we won’t be reading:
“Tribe’s Chutzpah”
Of course anyone who attempts to crowd fund a suit against an abortionist will be shut down immediately by social media, payment processors, hosting services, etc.
^^^— andddddd
https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/083/988/992/original/0d7c71263979c470.png
Here we go. GoDaddy just cancelled the domain registration of an anti-abortion tip website.
“My body, my choice” and “Your body, my choice.” Well put. As to abortion itself, I’ve known hypocrites on both sides–the religious folks who pressure their unwed daughter to have an abortion, to Whoopi Goldberg who was gobsmacked when her unwed daughter insisted on giving birth because it was her body, her choice. She had never thought that phrase went both ways. I’ve known very few women who were willing to “shout your abortion,” and they all struck me as angry, self-righteous people. In my experience most women who have abortions can see no other path forward.
To me, the main point is, when does a child, conceived in a petri dish and grown in an artificial womb, become a person with human rights? We may be there sooner than you think. We can’t rely on science and medicine to fix our moral dilemmas.
@ Zaphod > “GoDaddy just cancelled the domain registration of an anti-abortion tip website.”
Once more flushing the weasels out of their burrows, which may be some of the intent of the Texas gambit.
Zaphod:
I think that SCOTUS will strike it down and it will be done on the grounds of the “anyone can sue” element. I certainly could be wrong, but I think it leaves the law very vulnerable and that ultimately it will be its downfall.
Some people never become fully human, regardless of how old they become.
This Sarah Isgur analysis is excellent, on the procedural points rather than the merits of the abortion controversy. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/03/texas-abortion-law-scotus-roe-casey-509490
In my experience most women who have abortions can see no other path forward.
A function of having quite poor vision and quite poor counsel.
@ Neo > “I think that SCOTUS will strike it down and it will be done on the grounds of the “anyone can sue” element. I certainly could be wrong, but I think it leaves the law very vulnerable and that ultimately it will be its downfall.”
A district judge apparently agrees with you, but this will force SCOTUS to take a stand on the merits.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/09/democrat_texas_state_judge_blocks_new_abortion_law_that_scotus_refused_to_stop.html
@iowaan:
FaceBook’s AI Skynet Contender holding for you on Line 3:
https://www.engadget.com/facebook-ai-mislabels-video-black-men-primates-044255703.html
Bad News is that all the good ‘Ethical AI’ NGO and faculty grift spots have already been taken by some very on the ball opportunists. Perform a million abortions and same folk would just yawn.
VERY LATE BUT this photo meme from Bookworm illustrates what is so aggravating about Progressives.
They are using the same “story line” as Neo, but in exact reverse, without showing any awareness that their version doesn’t work because “my body, my choice” has NEVER been a right-wing creed.
https://www.bookwormroom.com/2021/09/03/afghanistan-v-abortion-what-really-riles-democrats/abortion-4/