South Dakota Abortion Bill signed into law

Today, South Dakota governer signed into law the first bill that is a direct attempt to overturn Roe v Wade. The bill makes any abortion illegal except those that are harming the mother. Pretty much it has to be the mom or the baby. Rape, incest, etc, the baby is a keeper. I am sure pro-lifers are thinking "victory!". I think once the dust settles this will actually be a blow for their cause.

Once people realize this type of law will spread from state to state the same way the anti-gay bills have, many will give pause. Unlike like gay marriage, this type of action directly effects everyone. Its one thing to be all high and mighty when it doesn't effect you, its another when it does.

The main problem I have with the law is it still doesn't accomplish anything. I think I am like most pro-choicers in that we have the same goal - to end abortion. We just differ on the means. We also have more realistic expectations. We know abortion will never end. Things can be done to reduce the number done every year. Things can also be done so that when an abortion is done, its done safetly, in a sterile environment, by trained doctors. I think few want a return to pre-1978 conditions of back room abortions done by anyone with a knife.

We also feel that the mothers rights supercede the potential babies rights. If pro-life, that view is the opposite (with rare exceptions but only because forced to). For me it goes even further. We all know the horror stories when parents are forced to be parents. If the mom doesn't want to be a mom, glad she knows it, better then her creating the next monstor in a plethora that this society already deals with. If I thought the child services system could handle all the babies, that might make me feel better, but it can't handle the load it has now, much less the load that will be created if in the grand utopia pro-lifers envision, all conceived babies are born.

Pro-choice is considered a liberal agenda. Pro-life a conservative one. The interesting thing about this is while the "baby" is in the mother, its a conservative problem, but the moment its born, it becomes a liberal problem with concerns over its care, feeding, education and all those other issues.

I have to give South Dakota credit though. This will probably go to the Supreme Court and with the court makeup as it is now, it will probably past muster easily. Realistically speaking, Roe v Wade has always been on incredibily weak Constitutional ground and this could be the shove that breaks it apart. I don't think though this will be the boon that the religious agenda thinks it will be. I think it will backfire in a big way and all the ground they gained in taking over the government will be lost.