150 posts plus a cat
Yesterday marked my 150th post to this bog. I haven't been posting as much about science as I thought I would be. It'll be interesting to see what my next 150 posts are about.
This picture has as a base a picture of the same cat as the other day, Pippin, when he was sleeping next to a moon shaped neon light. I played with it a bit in Photoshop mainly because I had the program open while I was labeling data for a presentation at AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) and decided to do a cat picture too.
As a follow up to yesterday's post, I'd like to say that I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned the obvious flaw in the GOP strategy. That preserving or defeating Roe/Wade isn't all that big a deal. Despite all the fanfare, should Roe/Wade be defeated, abortion won't be illegal--it'll just be up to each individual state to either allow or not allow abortion to be performed.
Abortion was legal in the USA for the first century of our existance. Our legal code is based on English Common Law and that specifies that abortions are allowed until 'quickening,' when the movement of the fetus could first be felt. This changed in 1821 when Conneticut became the first state to make abortion illegal. Other states followed suit until by 1900 abortion was illegal in almost every state of the Union.
In 1967 Colorado passed a law allowing abortions to be legal in certain situations (rape, incest, danger to mother) and several other states soon followed. By 1973, when Roe v. Wade was decided, 13 states had relatively unrestricted abortion laws and 31 allowed abortion to save the mother's life. The reason I give this background is because should the Supreme Court strike down Roe/Wade, it's unlikely that most states would make abortion illegal. Even before 1973 the legal climate was changing to reflect social changes in the US. Further, it's a lot easier now to travel to another state to obtain an abortion should you live in a state where it's not allowed so the impact isn't as big as it once was. Here's a differing opinion on that.
This picture has as a base a picture of the same cat as the other day, Pippin, when he was sleeping next to a moon shaped neon light. I played with it a bit in Photoshop mainly because I had the program open while I was labeling data for a presentation at AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) and decided to do a cat picture too.As a follow up to yesterday's post, I'd like to say that I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned the obvious flaw in the GOP strategy. That preserving or defeating Roe/Wade isn't all that big a deal. Despite all the fanfare, should Roe/Wade be defeated, abortion won't be illegal--it'll just be up to each individual state to either allow or not allow abortion to be performed.
Abortion was legal in the USA for the first century of our existance. Our legal code is based on English Common Law and that specifies that abortions are allowed until 'quickening,' when the movement of the fetus could first be felt. This changed in 1821 when Conneticut became the first state to make abortion illegal. Other states followed suit until by 1900 abortion was illegal in almost every state of the Union.
In 1967 Colorado passed a law allowing abortions to be legal in certain situations (rape, incest, danger to mother) and several other states soon followed. By 1973, when Roe v. Wade was decided, 13 states had relatively unrestricted abortion laws and 31 allowed abortion to save the mother's life. The reason I give this background is because should the Supreme Court strike down Roe/Wade, it's unlikely that most states would make abortion illegal. Even before 1973 the legal climate was changing to reflect social changes in the US. Further, it's a lot easier now to travel to another state to obtain an abortion should you live in a state where it's not allowed so the impact isn't as big as it once was. Here's a differing opinion on that.
Comments
I did think of your point, Liz but even a typical teenager these days can usually get to a bordering state. That wasn't as true 30 years ago and especially wasn't true in my parents time--and I've heard horror stories of what happened to people back then that they knew. I just don't think it'd be as bad now, Liz.
So, it's really the somewhat responsible adult who will risk losing their job by having to travel to a nearby state to abort a fetus she doesn't want or can't afford.
Love that neon picture....fabulous.
Anyway, sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this topic.
Congratulations on your 150th post!
The women who are on the lowest rung of our economic ladder have very difficult time traveling to safe abortion sites even today!
If certain states banned abortions, we would be in the same situation we were in in 1973 - rich women would have safe abortions and poor women be left to suffer and even die in some cases with illegal doctors in their states and in other cases trying to struggle to get to a safe one.
The gap between rich and poor is even wider today than it was in 1973. Who was left behind in New Orleans and who got out safely before the storm hit?
In addition to having to save for the cost of the abortion, poorer women would also have to save for travel and rooming expenses. They would have to take time off from work for the trip, losing income if they were lucky enough to have employment.
PLUS, the longer they have to save up for all of these expense, the more difficult and dangerous the abortion is because the more advanced the pregnancy becomes. Surely this would result in later term abortions than if the women could get one nearby.
I think it is dangerous for us to tell ourselves that the overturning of Roe v. Wade would not have a major impact on women, maybe not women of certain means, but for those who are living paycheck to paycheck or in poverty, it will be devestating.
And the whole point is that all women should have easy access to safe and clean health care, it is not just for the rich.
EXACTLY!
Let's keep the USA a free country. That is slipping away from us daily. (As far as "most states" keeping abortion legal, it would likely fall down the red state/blue state lines. Some girl in central Georgia or Mississippi would have to travel quite a distance to hit a blue state.)