Guest post by Frank Pavone, National Director, Pro-Life Leader priest for life
proposed constitutional amendment Bills that would remove restrictions on abortion and strip protections for the youngest children and their mothers are on the ballot in 10 states.
Supporters of the amendment say it protects reproductive freedom.
But their approach goes far beyond the consensus that Americans have built on abortion through more than 50 years of hard-charging legislative and judicial work at the state and federal levels.
And that goes far beyond what the Supreme Court said regarding abortion.
These ballot measures lock the state constitution into the most extreme position possible. This means that pregnancies have no time limit, there is little or no parental involvement in abortions of minors, there is no requirement that doctors be involved in abortions, and all other regulations are addressed. Any kind of action as a burden, delay or violation of abortion.
It’s not just about having legal abortions. It is about providing unimpeded, unlimited, instant abortion on a silver platter.
But Congress, the courts, and public opinion take different positions on abortion.
Courts have not deemed abortion a “fundamental right,” which is explicitly declared in many of these amendments. Rather, it has been thought of as a right to balance other interests that the state can pursue, such as the health of the mother, the integrity of medical professionals, and, yes, the life that grows in the womb.
Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973, but the Supreme Court did not say abortion must be unregulated and available on request. So Congress continued to act and raise issues for the courts to address. And the Supreme Court has issued dozens of decisions on these issues, including:
• Should parents have the right to veto their minor daughter’s abortion decision?
• What health and safety requirements must abortion clinics comply with?
• Can states actually ban late-trimester abortions or certain forms of abortion?
After decades of painstaking debate, legislation, court rulings, and reversals of court rulings, a certain consensus among Americans has emerged that is reflected in both policies. public opinion poll And state law parental involvement; waiting period, pregnancy limit, and Limit taxpayer funds.
Doesn’t respecting the legislative and judicial processes through which Americans have wrestled with abortion, and the conclusions they have reached, suggest that those processes should continue?
We should not think that our constitutional mandate to exclude courts, legislators, and governors from this ongoing debate will solve the problems in our people’s hearts, minds, and lives.
In fact, if these amendments pass, we may end up more agitated, disenfranchised, and divided than ever before on the issue of abortion.
