My mom and sister are in town for T-day, so posting will probably be light this weekend. If you’re looking to spread some holiday cheer, check out Katha Pollitt’s list of great organizations to donate to.
And this certainly doesn’t fall into the “cheer” category, but it’s another good reason to continue the promotion of women’s rights worldwide: A village council in Pakistan has decreed that five young women should be abducted, raped or killed for refusing to honour childhood “marriages.”
Also, stay vigilant in opposing Alito:
What hasn’t been discussed as much is what Alito’s willingness to restrict abortion might mean in light of two cases heading for the Supreme Court, both of which involve the question of whether laws limiting abortion have to include exceptions for women’s health. Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, which is scheduled for argument later in this month and might be re-argued after a new Justice is confirmed, considers whether a teen can get an abortion without waiting the forty-eight-hour period required by New Hampshire state law if her pregnancy threatens her health. The second case, Carhart v. Gonzales, a review of the 2003 federal “partial-birth abortion” ban, asks whether the ban on certain abortion procedures must make an exception if the mother’s health would be harmed.
The consequences of Ayotte extend far beyond New Hampshire, according to Dara Klassel, who will be representing Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in the Supreme Court case. “If [the majority of Justices] say you don’t need a health exception, it’ll be a matter of a year or two before all red states revoke their health exception,” says Klassel. “There will be women suffering serious health consequences, loss of fertility because of serious infection, anemia from blood loss.”
and if that’s not enough…
Though it would likely be the first reproductive crisis to which Alito could contribute, eroding Roe is really the lesser concern. Scarier still is that either of these two cases could provide the opportunity to do away with the ruling altogether. While the Justices are likely to rule more narrowly, they could decide to use the cases to “reach out,” as lawyers call it, and question the fundamental principles involved in the right to abortion.
And if neither case leads to a full-on grappling with the right to choose, a more direct challenge to Roe is already in the legal pipeline. A Michigan law that would outlaw all surgical abortions throughout pregnancy (the status of medical abortions is unclear) was passed and immediately challenged this year. Now, in Northland Family Planning Clinic v. Cox, the ban is being appealed to the Sixth Circuit. The case could make its way to the Supreme Court in 2007.
This Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, but do everyone a favor and don’t shop at Wal-Mart until they shape up.
If your in New York, this exhibit may be worth seeing. I’ve been meaning to go for weeks, and now that I have free time, the Met will be packed with holiday tourists. Wonderful.