It is hard to read Brian Greenspun’s op-ed without feeling like he is writing about the boogeyman- the evil, white, male republican vendetta that is out to lock women in cages and send the black man back to the fields.
No matter what the far Christian right may wish for, abortion will remain legal in this country forever. But like any other right, it is subject to restrictions. I don’t recall any part of the Constitution that speaks directly on abortion, but I do know that there is a part called the second amendment that speaks about guns and even those are subjected to various amounts of restrictions. If the right to bear arms is subject to restrictions, then so is abortion. The hard-line supporters of abortion and the second amendment take the same scorched earth policy that will accept no compromise when dealing with their dearly held issue. Despite the fact that a majority of Americans, Texans and woman support a ban on late term abortion, abortion supporters continue to refuse to yield any ground and cast as the ultimate villain any who propose such measures. If I may be permitted steal a line, the majority of Americans support common sense restrictions on abortion. For as much as people may want to stop another Newtown, so does an ever growing percentage want to stop what was happening in Kermit Gosnell’s “operating room” from ever happening again. Greenspun charges that Republicans want to barge into people’s homes and dictate to them on health issues, though Greenspun forgets that the very Court he fears, made personal health the government’s job via its ruling on Obamacare a year ago. Apparently dictating how much insurance coverage you must have is fine, but placing reasonable limits on when abortions are allowed and what protections the unborn should be entitled to, is a crime against women.
Greenspun moves on from charging Texas with attempting to remand women as wards of the state to attack the Court’s decision on the “Voting Rights Act”. According to Greenspun, striking down the parts of the bill that forced certain states and jurisdictions to clear any change to their voting laws with the Federal government is the same as placing the shackles of slavery back upon those in our nation who can produce no form of identification. Never mind that the other forty-one states have legal standing to enact such laws without Federal approval and some such as Hawaii already have done so without any accompanying cross burning, instilling fear about more states adopting such laws is irresponsible.
The right to vote is universally acknowledged as one of our most sacred treasures as Americans. Any case of voter fraud is a crime against the country and an insult to every citizen, and we owe it to all Americans to ensure that our elections are the most transparent and upstanding of any in the world. Refusing the ask someone to identify themselves in a country that currently shelters over 11 million illegal inhabitants is naive. Greenspun glosses over the fact that the Court’s ruling in regard to the “VRA” is, in effect, the court proclaiming the act has succeeded in it’s original purpose and continuing to enforce it is beating a dead horse. Everyone should be relieved that our nation has moved beyond the controversies of our past. While there are still many people in our country who remember the harsh times of the past, the country now belongs to a new generation, those who have only known racial equality. But holding the current generation accountable for the crimes of two generations ago keeps open the wounds of segregation and reminds us of our history of division by keeping us divided.
The goal of Brian Greenspun’s opinion was to impress upon his readers the fact that so many decisions are decided by the slimmest margins. He has a point, but engaging in blatant fear mongering is a bad way to round up votes, especially from an entity that attempts to claim the cloak of neutrality. Instead of trying to rally support by scaring people, Greenspun’s causes would be better served by finding a common ground on these issues that can make the majority of country happy.
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