SCOTUS Partial-birth Abortion Arguments

Greg commented on the oral arguments at the Supreme Court this week about the partial-birth abortion bans.

Comments

[alan aronson]

Must focus on abortion; nothing else happened this week; must focus on abortion.

[Paul A.]

Yeah, Alan, the Supreme Court hearing a case about the legality of infanticide surely isn't news.

You could always start your own blog, and then the topic would *always* be about what you want it to be...

[Aaron Snell]

Since when, Alan, is a blogger not allowed to focus on anything they want for as long as they want? Since when has this blog ever had an obligation to focus on a variety of current events in any given week?

This is not meant to give offense, but it strikes me as a little odd that you of all people are criticizing STR for repeatedly hitting the same topic post after post...

"Yeah, Alan, the Supreme Court hearing a case about the legality of infanticide surely isn't news." Good point Paul A. Our culture has been morally velocetized. "What was unthinkable yesterday is thinkable today, and ordinary and commonplace tomorrow." Great post Melinda, thanks.

[alan aronson]

Hey guys, didn't mean to upset anyone. i was just noting that all of a sudden there was a flurry of posts on abortion. Perhaps the election had something to do with that (move on, nothing happening here) or not. Just wondering.

[Tim]

Alan, remember that the election was on Tuesday. All the abortion entries (except for the "active euthanasia" story in the UK) were posted after the election. So, coinciding with the election seems irrelevant.

[Brian]

I find it funny that the article labeled STR a "pro-family group." Of course, I'm sure STR takes pro-family stances, but I've never thought of STR as that "kind" of thing. Maybe Focus on the Family or Family Life Today.

[Aaron Snell]

I caught that too, Brian, and thouht it was pretty funny. Makes it sound like that is the main focus of STR, or that they are an activist group or something. That caught me a little off guard.

[alan aronson]

Tim, I was assuming a desire for a distraction of some sort to take the sting off of a disturbing event.

[Robert Casteline]

Considering the incoming freshman class of Dems are mostly socially conservative, it's not really all that disturbing for the Repubs to lose control.

[alan aronson]

Not that conservative, rather what a real big tent looks like. Beware the conventional wisdom. Tester is pro choice and pro Second Amendment.

http://www.testerforsenate.com/issues

Ed Perlmutter is pro choice, stem cell research and correct on Schaivo-like issues.

http://www.perlmutter2006.com/taxonomy/term/10

Carol Shea-Porter is pro choice and correct on Schaivo-like issues.

http://www.carolforcongress.com/index.php?blog=5&cat=37

Jerry McNerney is pro choice, stem cell research and a host of other good things.

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/issues.asp

Sherrod Brown supports stem cell research.

http://sherrodbrown.com/press/releases/860/

Jim Webb says, "I drifted away from the Democratic Party on national security issues but I never left on social issues and issues of economic fairness." He opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, believes trade agreements should require other nations to improve labor standards and wages, and backs abortion rights as defined by the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade. "I believe the power of the government ends at my front door unless there is a compelling reason to come inside," he says.
Source: Jeanne Cummings, Wall Street Journal, p. A6 Jun 8, 2006

Heath Shuler: "I am a pro-life Democrat and I believe that all life is sacred. I also believe that a commitment to life extends beyond the womb and means ensuring that all people have adequate health care, receive a strong education, and be given proper care in their later years.

Every American deserves accessible and affordable health care. And we must make certain that EVERY child in America can see a doctor when he or she is sick. We need action in Congress, and I will address our health care needs on every level. I will start by fighting to increase funding and awareness for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) so every child has the chance to grow up healthy."

http://www.heathshuler.com/index.asp

Kos has a comment and some links.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/8/12431/0402

[Paul A]

Hi Alan,
I guess I can see where you are coming from, and that it could have looked (from a casual observer's perspective) that they were trying to play the "cop shooing people away from the crime scene." I think the large number of abortion-related posts simply comes from the facts that 1) abortion is a topic important to STR, and 2) abortion is in the spotlight again since the SCOTUS is hearing a case on something called "abortion", but which is really something much more gruesome. The concern is that if PBA is allowed to stand and gets included under the umbrella of "abortion", what will get pulled under that umbrella next? "Post-natal abortions"?

[Paul A]

Oh, yeah, I'm really happy we elected Perlmutter. I particularly like this quote from the page you linked, Alan:

"As a father of three girls, I know how important it is that we protect our children." That is, of course, unless those children are inside the womb, and then it's open-season as far as Ed is concerned. Oh, or if they are costly and bed-ridden, and then Ed is all for hubby starving them to death.

I also like the Webb quote you offered: "I believe the power of the government ends at my front door unless there is a compelling reason to come inside." Someone killing their children isn't a good reason for the government to "enter their home"?

By the way, I support stem cell research also, as long as it doesn't mean they have to carve up people to do it (or clone them so they can carve them up).

All of these people justify their views by using arguments that are completely secondary to the main issue in ESCR and abortion: "what is the unborn?" The reason they avoid that question is because the answer is obvious, and too many people are fooled by the smoke-screen made by their other arguments.

[alan aronson]

I understand where STR is coming from Paul, I just found the flurry interesting. I have to wonder, had tuesday turned out differently, if we would have had only one or two posts?

I posted the links because of the "conservatives were elected" meme that has become the spin du jour. Heath may be the most conservative, but that's ok, The guy he replaced, Charlie Taylor, was a real bad actor.

[Paul A.]

I suppose they might have changed their posts, but I don't see a predominantly political bent to the STR blog as a whole (certainly not nearly as much as many other blogs) -- they seem to discuss issues, morality, beliefs, etc., more than a centering on specific candidates or parties (though, of course, in the discussion of some topics, certain political figures get mentioned).

I don't know exactly where the candidates stand (these days, it's hard for anyone to really know where a given candidate stands until they get to Washington and start voting, and even then it's sometimes questionable), and I fully expect each group to spin it their own way to encourage their base. I think it's somewhat silly (as do you, it sounds like), but that's the nature of the beast.