Opinion

Editorial: Now it's voters turn on the status of abortion

Saturday, June 25, 2022 -- It is the job of a court to determine the law not impose extreme personal values and prejudices. What happens next will be up to Congress and the state legislature. Rarely has a vote had more direct consequence.

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CBC Editorial: Saturday, June 25, 2022; Editorial #8769
The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company
Donald Trump promised he would, and did, appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who “will be pro-life.” During the 2016 campaign Trump said reversal of Roe v. Wade would happen “automatically in my opinion” because he’d be nominating several justices. Friday that pledge came to fruition.  The three judges Trump appointed joined three others.
The high court ruled that state DO have the power to modify, limit or even ban abortion, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. It is a decision for the government to make, not a personal decision for women.
“The Supreme Court of the United States expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people that it had already recognized. They didn’t limit it. They simply took it away,” President Joe Biden said of the U.S Supreme Court decision to overrule Roe v. Wade’s 50-year right to an abortion.

The high court’s 6-3 decision removed a woman’s right to make a personal decision about the future of her pregnancy without the government’s intervention. The practice, for the last half-century was not open-ended, it limited most abortions to the first about 20 weeks of a pregnancy.

It also considered the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy – was it unintended, was it the result of rape or incest, what were the risks to both the mother and fetus of bringing the pregnancy to term?

There are religious groups that oppose abortion under all circumstances. But they are in the minority in the United States.

With this court’s decision, the views that most Americans hold concerning abortion are ignored. In May, 63% of Americans said they did not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
The court’s decision is one that that only 30% of North Carolinians agree with. (https://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=20327a6b-05e8-4b15-8448-61d2d12206e9).
Further, 55% of North Carolinians say they want the state to either leave state abortion laws as they are or make them less restrictive.

“This a sad day for the country,” Biden observed. “But it doesn’t mean the fight is over. … This fall, we must elect more senators and representatives who will codify a woman’s right to choose into federal law once again, elect more state leaders to protect this right at the local level. We need to restore the protections of Roe as law of the land.  We need to elect officials who will do that.”

Too many of those opposed to abortion should be just as concerned about ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy and work to provide ALL women with greater access to family planning and other related health services.

Those in power in North Carolina’s legislature pledge to do the opposite of what the people they represent want. State Senate Leader Phil Berger said the legislature will take “immediate action” to further restrict the state’s current abortion laws. Those current laws include requirements that patients undergo an ultrasound examination and receive information designed to discourage abortions and a 72-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion.
House Speaker Tim Moore explicitly promised further abortion restrictions. “Pro-life protections to be a top priority of the legislature when we return to our normal legislative session in January,” Moore said.

It is no exaggeration to say that “Roe is on the ballot.” North Carolina voters will elect members of the state legislature, U.S. House of Representatives and a U.S. senator along with key judges on the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

Voters need look no further than the race for U.S. Senator for the contrast in positions.

Republican Ted Budd praised the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court is a historic victory.” Democrat Cheri Beasley, former Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, said:” This wrong and dangerous decision that overturns nearly 50 years of precedent shows exactly what’s at stake in this election and I will not hesitate to stand up for Americans’ freedom to make our own decisions about our own families.”

The high court’s decision, legal scholars worry, will further open the door to laws that restrict access to contraception and even what couples can and cannot do in the privacy of their homes.

It is the job of a court to determine the law not impose extreme personal values and prejudices.

What happens next will be up to Congress and the state legislature. Rarely has a vote had more direct consequence. Know where candidates stand.  Don’t let others speak for you at the ballot box.

See you at the polls.

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