This comment is for Mr. Rather, specifically. I am 42 years old and grew up with you as The Newsman. I have always respected and truly appreciated your commitment to journalistic integrity. You also appear to be a kind man, so to that end, I was sad and taken aback by your 5 December 2022 email, “Destroying Democracy”. While I agree with the post overall, I was horrified by your comparison of the POTUS attempting to destroy our government with a person suffering from an untreated illness. You stated “[a]nd if these were the harmless ravings of a man on a soapbox on a New York street corner, we could hustle by, trying not to make eye contact.”
Mr. Rather, after losing most of my family to COVID-19 (they were not vaccinated), my son had a psychotic break last January, right after my dad died. I observed my young adult son lose himself; I watched in horror as an illness grow in him until it consumed him.
We are Kansans and know no one in NYC. Yet my son, in a psychotic state, left Kansas via bus and went to NYC in August. He was homeless, sleeping on benches, was starving and he was the man yelling on the corner.
I was able to find him and bring him home, a small miracle.
In November, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder bipolar type and is currently a ward of the state.
Please keep in mind that our mental health programs and services have been slashed around the country.
And remember, that raving man has a mother whose only hope in life is to again have her son.
I hope it is not a step back to the dark ages. Pro-Choice advocates value life just as much, if not more, than the Pro-Life advocates. To avoid hypocrisy, Pro-Life advocates need to be asked how many unwanted children they have each adopted.
First and foremost, as a 75 year old woman, I believe what happens to my body is my choice. I also believe that a decisions being made by a court that was populated by "shady" tactics should have no right to make this decision. However, I know that my belief is not of much importance to those who wish to overturn Roe vs. Wade. So, it is imperative that somehow, some way, the Democrats unite in codifying Roe vs. Wade with legislative action.
During the more than 300-year history of our Nation, there are some stand-out events. Beginning with the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote: All men are created equal---- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then after a horrible Civil War, Abe Lincoln wrote the "Emancipation Proclamation." Then, we fought a World War II to free enslaved nations. More recently, our Supreme Court made abortion a human right in Roe-v-Wade. Today, perhaps next week, the Supreme Court may revoke Roe and basically enslave the women of our Nation into carrying a pregnancy to conclusion, regardless of the circumstances that brough about that pregnancy. Why is it that men have this inert tendency to enslave their fellow humans? As you wisely point out, there is no intention for Republican leaders to provide assistance of any kind to the mother. Should the Republican, male dominated Supreme Court revoke the fifty-year old Roe decision, then in fact in the words of David A. Kaplan, the Court is indeed "The Most Dangerous Branch" of our government.
This will greatly impact young, poor and marginalized women in many states. This may impact, but not impede women who have the means and connections to continue to choose.
I also do think the system has estimated correctly what the reaction to this will bring. I think it will be just as volatile, if not more so, than last time. I don't think women will let this take a spot in our complacent country for long - at least I'm hoping not. Whether we react with words, votes or violence, we can rest assured that there will be a huge reaction. Maybe some of the people who have taken the hypocritical oath will find themselves in so deep that the politicians will find themselves once again at the mercy of the people who know that being told what to do in life-changing circumstances is wrong, unjust, and illegal. This is a cross-party issue and we will be hearing from all.
After Roe v Wade, there actually were better programs to prevent pregnacy... Planned Parenthood for one...and thus fewer abortions. Birth control is a powerful tool. Legal abortion a down the list necessity....sometimes for sicial and personal reasons and sometimes for medical reasons. Can we get limits on Viagra? And real sanctions against perpwtrators of unwanted impregantion?
I am a woman old enough to remember the before times. I remember going to school when I was 13 knowing my mother was going to die that day. It would be another 8 years before Mom told me it was a back alley botched abortion from which she had a raging infection. Her doctor couldn't put her in the hospital because he could lose his medical license. He couldn't even prescribe her antibiotics, although he finally was able to get her some. He also finally got her into the hospital that awful day. But I remember the stories of women with coat hangers, and throwing themselves down the stairs, of girls my age going to "live with aunts" and the more affluent ones going to Mexico for a weekend. I remember the sadness and the anger and the burst of energy from my high school peers in 1971 and 2, marching to get Roe passed, and the utter relief when it was.
I'm 67 now. And I will be damned if I will die having lost Roe and not fighting back. It was my introduction to politics; sexual and domestic violence has been my mainstay in all of my years of activism, and I will go down making sure that women's bodies are under women's control. We do NOT belong to anyone but ourselves and those whom we choose to share ourselves with. It is never anyone else's right to impose their will on ours. Never. No government, no religion, no social caste system has the moral right to impose that system upon us. And I will be one of 100's of 1,000's who will fight for this fundamental right to liberty here in America. And we shall prevail.
In Sweden if you are pregnant you have a CHOICE for an abortion or birth - If you chose to birth the government will support you before and after the birth. Equivalent to $138.14 per month till the child is 16. Since the Hypocrisy of Republican Pro-Birth will affect the poorest of women, and then put another child into poverty, because the well-off can afford to travel to somewhere abortion is legal.
Catholic Nun on Pro-Life vs Pro-Birthhttps://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/sr-joan-chittisters-2004-quote-pro-life-versus-pro-birth-goes-viral
There was an essay in today’s NY Times titled “The case against abortion”. The writer makes a well-reasoned argument against abortion but omits the point that abortion has to exist in order for it to be regulated even as a lifesaving medical procedure.
Outlawing abortion will not stop it. The wealthy or well-connected will get safe abortions either from a sympathetic doctor or internationally. The rest will find a way to terminate the pregnancy. We have been here before and I for one really do not want to go back.
Abortions will be sought, whether they are legal or not. Making abortions illegal will only make them unsafe. This is never going to be different, even though many loud voices say that it will deter women. It won't, and if a girl or a woman is determined to end a pregnancy, making an abortion impossible to get in a hospital or clinic, she will find a way.
Lawrence Tribe's comment struck home with me: He said that ending this law will be the removal of rights rather than the bestowing them, which is alarming to him -- and also to me.
I have so much anger accumulated over 50 years of seeing how women are treated in this country in all aspects of life. I wish I could say this turn of events was surprising to me, but it is not. We have always had to fight and I expect that in my lifetime we always will. I wish there were more men like those here, who understood this.
This comment is for Mr. Rather, specifically. I am 42 years old and grew up with you as The Newsman. I have always respected and truly appreciated your commitment to journalistic integrity. You also appear to be a kind man, so to that end, I was sad and taken aback by your 5 December 2022 email, “Destroying Democracy”. While I agree with the post overall, I was horrified by your comparison of the POTUS attempting to destroy our government with a person suffering from an untreated illness. You stated “[a]nd if these were the harmless ravings of a man on a soapbox on a New York street corner, we could hustle by, trying not to make eye contact.”
Mr. Rather, after losing most of my family to COVID-19 (they were not vaccinated), my son had a psychotic break last January, right after my dad died. I observed my young adult son lose himself; I watched in horror as an illness grow in him until it consumed him.
We are Kansans and know no one in NYC. Yet my son, in a psychotic state, left Kansas via bus and went to NYC in August. He was homeless, sleeping on benches, was starving and he was the man yelling on the corner.
I was able to find him and bring him home, a small miracle.
In November, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder bipolar type and is currently a ward of the state.
Please keep in mind that our mental health programs and services have been slashed around the country.
And remember, that raving man has a mother whose only hope in life is to again have her son.
I hope it is not a step back to the dark ages. Pro-Choice advocates value life just as much, if not more, than the Pro-Life advocates. To avoid hypocrisy, Pro-Life advocates need to be asked how many unwanted children they have each adopted.
First and foremost, as a 75 year old woman, I believe what happens to my body is my choice. I also believe that a decisions being made by a court that was populated by "shady" tactics should have no right to make this decision. However, I know that my belief is not of much importance to those who wish to overturn Roe vs. Wade. So, it is imperative that somehow, some way, the Democrats unite in codifying Roe vs. Wade with legislative action.
Hi Dan:
During the more than 300-year history of our Nation, there are some stand-out events. Beginning with the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote: All men are created equal---- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then after a horrible Civil War, Abe Lincoln wrote the "Emancipation Proclamation." Then, we fought a World War II to free enslaved nations. More recently, our Supreme Court made abortion a human right in Roe-v-Wade. Today, perhaps next week, the Supreme Court may revoke Roe and basically enslave the women of our Nation into carrying a pregnancy to conclusion, regardless of the circumstances that brough about that pregnancy. Why is it that men have this inert tendency to enslave their fellow humans? As you wisely point out, there is no intention for Republican leaders to provide assistance of any kind to the mother. Should the Republican, male dominated Supreme Court revoke the fifty-year old Roe decision, then in fact in the words of David A. Kaplan, the Court is indeed "The Most Dangerous Branch" of our government.
This will greatly impact young, poor and marginalized women in many states. This may impact, but not impede women who have the means and connections to continue to choose.
I also do think the system has estimated correctly what the reaction to this will bring. I think it will be just as volatile, if not more so, than last time. I don't think women will let this take a spot in our complacent country for long - at least I'm hoping not. Whether we react with words, votes or violence, we can rest assured that there will be a huge reaction. Maybe some of the people who have taken the hypocritical oath will find themselves in so deep that the politicians will find themselves once again at the mercy of the people who know that being told what to do in life-changing circumstances is wrong, unjust, and illegal. This is a cross-party issue and we will be hearing from all.
After Roe v Wade, there actually were better programs to prevent pregnacy... Planned Parenthood for one...and thus fewer abortions. Birth control is a powerful tool. Legal abortion a down the list necessity....sometimes for sicial and personal reasons and sometimes for medical reasons. Can we get limits on Viagra? And real sanctions against perpwtrators of unwanted impregantion?
I am a woman old enough to remember the before times. I remember going to school when I was 13 knowing my mother was going to die that day. It would be another 8 years before Mom told me it was a back alley botched abortion from which she had a raging infection. Her doctor couldn't put her in the hospital because he could lose his medical license. He couldn't even prescribe her antibiotics, although he finally was able to get her some. He also finally got her into the hospital that awful day. But I remember the stories of women with coat hangers, and throwing themselves down the stairs, of girls my age going to "live with aunts" and the more affluent ones going to Mexico for a weekend. I remember the sadness and the anger and the burst of energy from my high school peers in 1971 and 2, marching to get Roe passed, and the utter relief when it was.
I'm 67 now. And I will be damned if I will die having lost Roe and not fighting back. It was my introduction to politics; sexual and domestic violence has been my mainstay in all of my years of activism, and I will go down making sure that women's bodies are under women's control. We do NOT belong to anyone but ourselves and those whom we choose to share ourselves with. It is never anyone else's right to impose their will on ours. Never. No government, no religion, no social caste system has the moral right to impose that system upon us. And I will be one of 100's of 1,000's who will fight for this fundamental right to liberty here in America. And we shall prevail.
In Sweden if you are pregnant you have a CHOICE for an abortion or birth - If you chose to birth the government will support you before and after the birth. Equivalent to $138.14 per month till the child is 16. Since the Hypocrisy of Republican Pro-Birth will affect the poorest of women, and then put another child into poverty, because the well-off can afford to travel to somewhere abortion is legal.
Catholic Nun on Pro-Life vs Pro-Birthhttps://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/sr-joan-chittisters-2004-quote-pro-life-versus-pro-birth-goes-viral
There was an essay in today’s NY Times titled “The case against abortion”. The writer makes a well-reasoned argument against abortion but omits the point that abortion has to exist in order for it to be regulated even as a lifesaving medical procedure.
Outlawing abortion will not stop it. The wealthy or well-connected will get safe abortions either from a sympathetic doctor or internationally. The rest will find a way to terminate the pregnancy. We have been here before and I for one really do not want to go back.
I had intended to comment, but the ladies on here have already expressed my thoughts so well, that there is nothing more I can possibly add.
Abortions will be sought, whether they are legal or not. Making abortions illegal will only make them unsafe. This is never going to be different, even though many loud voices say that it will deter women. It won't, and if a girl or a woman is determined to end a pregnancy, making an abortion impossible to get in a hospital or clinic, she will find a way.
Where is the 15th chief justice of the United States, Warren Earl Burger, when you need him. There are many times I find the past comforting.
Lawrence Tribe's comment struck home with me: He said that ending this law will be the removal of rights rather than the bestowing them, which is alarming to him -- and also to me.
Fear, anger, and sadness fill me - for women and the children they are forced to bear if this comes to pass.
I have so much anger accumulated over 50 years of seeing how women are treated in this country in all aspects of life. I wish I could say this turn of events was surprising to me, but it is not. We have always had to fight and I expect that in my lifetime we always will. I wish there were more men like those here, who understood this.