Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] what majority wants Bush?

[Stephen Montgomery-Smith <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Mike Miller wrote:
> 
> He supports abortion *rights*.  I don't even know what it means to 
> "support abortion."  The issue is *rights* and freedoms -- Kerry wants 
> us to have rights and freedoms that GWB would like to take away.
> 

OK, let me jump in on this.  It seems to me that anyone who supports Roe 
versus Wade is not really supporting rights.  The Supreme Court decided 
that it was a constitutional right for a woman to have an abortion.

It seems to me that if something is unconstitutional then you are not 
just saying that it is wrong, but you are saying that it is so wrong 
that it is not even debatable.  For example, it was declared 
unconstitutional to racially segregate schools.  This, I believe, was a 
9-0 decision.  It is now rightfully recognised as one of the pillars of 
American society - it clearly fits within the idea that all men are 
created equal - and anyone who thinks otherwise is declared a bigot.

The trouble with the abortion issue is that even if you think that the 
choice should be left to the woman, it is understandable that some 
people might have serious ethical issues about whether it should be 
allowed.  Indeed it is my understanding (I could be wrong here) that Roe 
versus Wade was a 5-4 decision, so even clever people such as Supreme 
Court Justices seriously disagree on this issue.

By declaring abortion as a constitutionally protected activity, one is 
effectively ostrocising all pro-lifers from involvement in any kind of 
genuine legal debate.  Anyone who truly believes in choice should still 
be opposed to Roe versus Wade, even if they agree with allowing 
abortions.  It should not be a constitutional issue unless an 
appropriate constitutional ammendment can be passed.

-- 

Stephen Montgomery-Smith
EMAIL:PROTECTED
http://www.math.missouri.edu/~stephen
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