Democrats Must Go "All-In" To Protect Roe Vs. Wade

(Cartoon image is by Bill Day at cagle.com.)

The Trump administration has been a disaster, but most of what Trump has done can be undone by our next president. His appointment of another Supreme Court justice is different. Another Trump justice would make sure the court leans to the extreme right -- possibly for many decades.

Another Gorsuch on the court will be bad for equal rights (minorities, LGBT, women, etc), immigration, voting rights, gun control, the environment, gerrymandering of congressional districts, labor unions and worker rights, human rights -- the list is endless. And sadly, the one thing we know is that we cannot fight all of those battles right now. The Republicans are going to get a justice they like on most of those issues.

We must pick an issue on which to stand. An issue we will not give in on, and will go to the wall to protect. I believe that issue is the protection of Roe vs. Wade. It has been the law of the land for 45 years now, and it has saved the lives of many thousands of American women. If it was overturned, it would not end abortion -- no law can do that. It will just drive women back into getting back alley abortions -- which will kill many of them.

This is a life and death issue -- not for fetuses, but for women (actual people). It won't affect the rich. The rich, including right-wing Republicans, will continue to get the abortions they want because they have the money to travel to a state or country that allows it. But the poor and lower middle classes (of all colors) are not so lucky. They don't have the money to travel a great distance to get a safe abortion.

Why should these women have to give up control over their own bodies to some egotistical and self-righteous men wearing an elephant pin -- some prick who believes women are second-class citizens who must be told what they can and cannot do? It's shameful, and it's wrong!

For those who oppose abortion, there are much better ways to prevent them -- ways that don't take rights away from women. Just teach the truth about sex and pregnancy prevention to everyone starting in middle schools. Then provide free and easy access to effective contraception to everyone. And for the few pregnancies that still happen, offer government help to those women who choose to have the baby.

Overturning Roe vs. Wade is mean-spirited, and will not stop abortions. We must stop it. It is the one thing we cannot give in to, because women's lives and rights are just too important.