Smart authoritarians would bide their time until 2024, gaining power and acting reasonable, and then we'd be sunk.
But now we're seeing what they're really about. They blocked a bill in the Senate today that would allow women to cross state lines for abortions. Via HuffPo:
The Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act, introduced by Cortez Masto and other Democrats earlier this week, would clarify the right to cross state lines to obtain reproductive health care services. It would also empower the U.S. attorney general and affected individuals to bring civil lawsuits against anyone who attempts to restrict that right.
In his concurrence to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which reversed the 50-year precedent that established a national right to an abortion, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sought to downplay the impact of the ruling in states where abortion is now illegal, writing that the “constitutional right to interstate travel” would enable women to “travel to another state to obtain an abortion.”
But like the word “abortion,” the U.S. Constitution doesn’t explicitly mention the word “travel.” It is an enumerated right established under the First, Fifth, and 14th Amendments. Kavanaugh also appears to be alone on this front. No other justice in the Dobbs majority joined his concurrence.
Democrats and reproductive rights groups fear that Republican-controlled states will exploit this gap and move to restrict travel and criminalize cross-state travel to seek abortion care. Anti-abortion groups and GOP lawmakers in some states are already signaling that’s where they’d like to go next.
Now, Kav tried to pretend that women didn't have to worry, but no one joined him. And you know when push comes to shove, none of the five are going to say the Constitution protects your right to travel.
Conservatives have also threatened employers who proceed with plans to cover their employees’ travel expenses for out-of-state abortions ― either with criminal liability or by moving to strip their tax breaks. Dozens of major companies, including Amazon, Disney, Apple and JPMorgan, have committed to do so.
Anyone remember when the GOP stood for keeping the government OUT of business's hair? Not anymore!
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), meanwhile, claimed the legislation would lead to “abortion tourism” and that it would “protect the greed of woke corporations” who have pledged to cover travel costs of their employees.
Plus, now the Indiana Attorney General is going after the doctor that provided the abortion for the ten-year-old girl:
In a Thursday statement, Rokita said his office is “investigating this situation and are waiting for the relevant documents to prove if the abortion and/or the abuse were reported, as [Bernard] had requirements to do both under Indiana law. The failure to do so constitutes a crime in Indiana, and her behavior could also affect her licensure. Additionally, if a HIPAA violation did occur, that may affect next steps as well.”
Bernard’s attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, said Thursday that her client “took every appropriate and proper action in accordance with the law and both her medical and ethical training as a physician. She followed all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations in this case, just as she does every day to provide the best possible care for her patients. She has not violated any law, including patient privacy laws, and she has not been disciplined by her employer.”
Rokita has long backed extreme positions on abortion. When a GOP candidate said in 2012 that pregnancy from rape “is something that God intended to happen,” Rokita stood by him. In 2017, after four women accused Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of pursuing them sexually when he was in his 30s and they were between the ages of 14 and 18, Rokita said he would be “comfortable” serving with him in the Senate ― and praised his anti-abortion credentials.
Both Indiana and Ohio have strong requirements for reporting rape allegations and abortions, Politico noted. Ohio Attorney General David Yost told Fox News his office hadn’t heard of a case involving a 10-year-old rape victim.
Republicans are now showing us what life would be like under total Republican rule. It's time the American people woke up to it, before it's too late.
