Bipartisan favorite John McCain has officially come out and said that he thinks Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that there should be a Constitutional amendment banning abortion — except in the case of rape, incest or life of the pregnant mother.
Because if a woman is raped, then it’s not her “fault” that she’s pregnant, and she should be allowed access to a medical procedure. But women who have the audacity to have sex by choice should be punished. And carrying a pregnancy to term should be a punishment.
What other medical procedure do we suggest should be offered only on the basis of our personal moral judgments against one class of people for doing something that is inherent to the human condition?
That aside, McCain’s federalist defense of overturning Roe is complete bunk, as Scott points out. Overturning Roe would not bring the decision back to the states — and indeed, McCain himself would like to see a federal amendment banning the procedure. Further, issues of equality and basic human rights should not be left up to individual state governments. Those rights should be protected for all citizens, regardless of where they live — a woman in Mississippi should have no less a right to reproductive freedom than I do.
It’s notable that McCain’s position is an about-face from where he was in 1999, back when he was still considering something of a renegade in the Republican party for his refusal to bow to the religious right. It looks like those days are long gone, as McCain is willing to sell his integrity down the river to capture votes from the radical right. Of course, McCain has never been much of a friend to women’s freedom — he has a 0 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America, and consistently votes to support anti-choice legislation.
This man is no moderate, and his election would be no boon for progressives — and it would be devastating for women.