Abortion Rights

There is no such thing as “abortion rights,” there is only Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade does not declare that abortion is legal, Roe v. Wade does not declare that abortion is moral, Roe v. Wade does not declare that abortion is a pregnant woman’s right. Roe v. Wade DOES say that no government – federal, state or local – may interfere or prevent or criminalize a woman’s desire to have an abortion within the first trimester (three months) of her pregnancy; it further affirms that states may interfere or prevent or criminalize a woman’s abortion in the second trimester of her pregnancy, and that the federal government must do the same in her final trimester. Many declare a woman’s right to an abortion to be an absolute right, but it is not so as Roe v. Wade, the law of the land respecting abortion, declares otherwise.

Democrats would be wise not to assert that a woman has an absolute right to an abortion whenever she chooses when indeed she does not have any such right, as it is more than unlikely that the right to an abortion will be expanded beyond the strictures of Roe v. Wade, at least for a generation. And Republicans would be wise not to assert that a first trimester abortion ought to be federally criminalized via an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as most of the American people, even many Pro-Life Americans, do not support absolute criminalization.

Two final thoughts. As laws result from the controversy, there is no denying that abortion is a political issue. But it is finally a religious issue and Americans do not favor being told what to do and what not to do by members of one or another religious group. Finally, abortion is a woman’s issue as much or more than it is a religious issue and men should mind their own business. Which means that I, a man, now that I have had my say, should shut my mouth (but don’t bet on it).