Texas Taliban #187
By Hank Silverberg
Yes, I know the title above seems a bit harsh. But the new anti-abortion law now on the books in Texas has some harsh provisions that go far beyond any effort to limit abortions.
On its surface, it prohibits abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, which is before most women even know they are pregnant. It will be the strictest anti-abortion law in the country with that alone. But the other half of the law is even more ominous because it has the potential to spread to other types of prohibitions.
Instead of having the government enforce the law, private citizens could effectively turn someone in by suing anyone involved with the abortion. If successful in the lawsuit based on the "six week" rule, that private citizen could get a bounty of $10,000 plus court costs. The bill doesn't even prohibit a rapist from suing the woman he raped or an abortion provider. You can be sure there will be some people who will go after pregnant women just to make money.
If those who pushed it, passed it and intend to enforce it really cared about the "unborn," they would have attached several other provisions to the bill.
For example, they could have multiplied the amount Texas spends on Foster Care by a factor of perhaps five to place all those unwanted children in good homes. Or those who passed this bill should have included funds doubling the amount of money spent on pre-natal care for every pregnant woman. If the people who pushed the bill really cared about the "unborn," they would triple the amount spent on teaching parenting skills or increase daycare and job training for the young women forced to give birth. And they could also increase the penalties and enforcements for deadbeat dads.
But this bill has little to do with protecting the "unborn." It has everything to do with controlling women based solely on the religious or moral beliefs of those who promoted and passed it and those who will use it to stop abortions.
There were 56,000 abortions in Texas in 2019, 90% of them performed after six weeks.
One must wonder what would have become of all those "unborn" children had their mothers been FORCED to birth them.
Conservatives talk all the time about prohibiting the government from intruding into our private lives. Now, with the state of Texas backing them up, those who pushed this bill are asking your neighbors to intrude on a woman's right to control her own body and collect a bounty for doing so.
Texas "heartbeat bill" becomes law, banning abortions as early as six weeks | The Texas Tribune
Texas Law Bans Abortion at Six Weeks: What this Means (healthline.com)
The law is draconian and the concept of turning in your neighbors totally un-American.
What's next? A law that prohibits birth control and a bounty for turning in every woman who uses it?
Or a $10,000 bounty for reporting anyone who skips church on Sunday?
There is, of course, going to be numerous court cases over the Texas law. Let's hope the "conservative" U. S. Supreme Court, which is likely to have the final say, will uphold the concept that the government should stay out of our private lives. To me this law violates the Forth Amendment, prohibiting illegal search and seizure.
Biden's Popularity
A new poll out this week shows fear of contracting the Coronavirus has undermined confidence in President Biden's leadership.
The President's approval rating has dropped from
The Washington Post/ABC news poll also found
47% of those questioned rate their risk of getting sick from the virus as high, up from 18% in June.
One of the more interesting findings in this poll: The concern of catching the virus is up from 32% to 52% among those vaccinated, while it has grown from 22% to only 35% among the unvaccinated.
It should be noted that recent statistics from Canada show the rate of infection remains 12 times higher among those who are unvaccinated than those who got the shot. The hospitalization rate remains 36 times higher among the unvaccinated.
Rate of COVID-19 cases 12 times higher among unvaccinated than vaccinated: PHAC (msn.com)
Say Goodbye to Bobby Lee
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| (This statue soon to be removed) |
The court ruled that descendants of the two people who donated the land the statue sits on had no property rights to the monument, even though the deeds required the state to hold the monument "perpetually sacred." Here's part of the state justices' opinion.
“Those restrictive covenants are unenforceable as contrary to public policy and for being unreasonable because their effect is to compel government speech, by forcing the Commonwealth to express, in perpetuity, a message with which it now disagrees,”
The monument had been a focal point of protest after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year. In case you have never studied history, Robert E. Lee was a Confederate General who lead rebel forces during the Civil War. He fought against the United States army in a war that cost more than 600,000 American lives.
So far no date has been set for the actual removal of the statue. The Lee statue is just the latest Confederate monument to be removed in communities across the south that are finally coming to grips with the reality of history.
Dumbest Quote:
I have no "dumbest quote of the week" this week but I am sure there is one out there somewhere. If you find one, pass it along.
(Your suggestions and comments are welcome)
(Copies of my latest book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:
HankSilverberg@gmail.com
for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with a signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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