Kendall Stanley: What in heaven’s sake is next
When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court it was a great day for Republicans and their anti-abortion followers.
It also became the day the dog caught the car — now what are we supposed to do?
The court by tossing abortion back to the states has opened the floodgates of a race to the bottom, states battling to see which one can put the most onerous regulations on the books for the women of their state.
Six-week abortion bans, criminal penalties for those who perform abortions or even talk to their patients about it, in one case criminalizing women going out of their state for an abortion — the list goes on and on.
For a party that has prided itself on promoting freedom from government interference the party is a far way from that position now.
With many states now having a supermajority of Republicans in their state legislatures, the good times just keep coming for the cultural, sexual, censorial and religious zealots.
And they are booking no dissent, pitching out two black Democrats in the Tennessee House (who were later returned to their posts by officials in their districts) and the removal from the Montana House of its first transgender legislator who had the temerity to tell them their efforts to squash help for transgendered citizens would mean blood on their hands.
It’s not just trans kids who would be blocked from transgender care, Missouri wants to control adults as well.
“The rule excludes people who are currently receiving treatments, so long as they and their doctors “promptly” comply with the psychological assessments and other restrictions,” according to The New York Times.
“Aro Royston, a 35-year-old transgender man in St. Louis, said he was shocked by the new policy. He said he had been taking testosterone for eight years, with monthly refills prescribed by his doctor. If he could no longer have access to the treatments, he would be “devastated,” he said, and would travel out of state to receive care.
“I think what upsets me most is, I’m a functioning member of this society,” said Mr. Royston, a program manager at a U.S. defense contractor. “I’ve worked on defense programs to protect my nation. And my nation can’t protect me?”
When in heaven’s name did states decide that they could criminally charge their citizens for crossing the state line? The reality is the anti-abortion movement has become a forced birth movement — can’t get an abortion where you’re at, could go to jail if you do, doctors in fear of losing their license or being criminally charged.
Assuredly many of these laws will end up in court and some will surely be overturned. But probably not before citizens suffer the consequences.
These states are victimizing their citizens, in part because many states now have supermajorities in both their chambers, mostly Republican.
What kind of mischief can that cause?
Some states are using their majorities to make it tougher for citizen initiatives to make it to the ballot and once on the ballot instead of allowing just a simple majority to pass a measure the margin of victory would be 60-40 — thus letting the minority overwhelm the majority.
Basically just shutting the average citizen out of any initiative process. Legislators just hate it when citizens take governing into their own hands!
Freedom from government interference indeed.
Clearing out
It became a sad drive into the neighborhood at the end of April. The snowbirds had departed.
Gone were the license plates from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and yes, a few from Michigan. Not to be forgotten are the British Columbia folks.
Most faced a long slog down the road, hopefully picking a start date that avoided bad weather on the way — many of us head through tornado alley and neighbors reported snow on their trek home the last week of April.
But after dodging semis for four days and this year paying dearly for gas, we will arrive home and start the chores that are sure to face us.
The best of both worlds — here and there.
— Kendall P. Stanley is retired editor of the News-Review. He can be contacted at kendallstanley@charter.net. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and not necessarily of the Petoskey News-Review or its employees.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Kendall Stanley: What in heaven’s sake is next
