Thoughts on abortion See LETTERS on Page 5B
Dear editor:
The latest attack on female rights coming from Texas took an unusual approach by pro-life folk in a very small town on the border of Louisiana, the town of Waskom, population 1,600, and a town with no abortion clinic. To prevent the city from being accessible to lawsuits, the ordinance prohibits any city official from enforcing the abortion ban. Rather, it allows any “private citizen” to sue anyone performing an abortion or assisting in any way with one.
Thirty-six other Texas cities developed a similar ordinance, and Mark Dickson, a Southern Baptist minister, favoring the Waskom ordinance, contacted Bryan Hughes, state senator, who in turn used Jonathan Mitchell as his attorney to develop the state ordinance, titled S.B.8. Dubious as some may consider the ordinance, “statutes that establish private rights of actions” are almost impossible to challenge. Five other Republican-controlled states have public officials considering pushing similar bills: Florida, Indiana, North and South Dakota, and Arkansas.
However, there are several attempts being made in various states to lessen the dramatic effect on such laws on those females wanting abortions. As a result, whether good or bad, it begins to sound like the battle against alcohol in the ’20s, which eventually resulted in “prohibition,” which in turn resulted in a strong increase in underworld crime, creating the “Mafia.”
One plan of the pro-choice folk is to heavily advertise medicinal abortion pills, already approved by the FDA. The COVID-19 pandemic increased this method strongly. Another method is tele-abortions, promoted last year through “Hey Jane” and “Abortion on Demand” sites in 20 states. LYFT and UBER have announced covering legal fees for any driver sued for aiding a person wanting an abortion or getting pills delivered. “Hey Jane,” which offers overnight delivery of pills, is about to get certified in Colorado and New Mexico to serve Texas women. There exists also “Aid Access,” an international telehealth service offering pills from pharmacies from other countries, which may have questionable legality.
My point is that we may eventually see a Supreme Court decision reaffirming the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. The legal and possibly illegal actions of pro-choice groups may prove to be overwhelming to deal with. And the dedicated efforts of the pro-lifers restricting the rights of females may prove too much. As all informed folk know, FDR got prohibition repealed in the ’30s after the law had caused so much illegality and confusion for more than a decade. Just some things to ponder.
John W. “Doc” Crawford
Hot Springs