Nerve Endings Firing Away

Recently, the United States Supreme Court upheld the ban on partial-birth abortion giving pro-lifers a much needed victory in their quest to overturn Roe v. Wade. Justice Kennedy in his majority decision insisted that this decision was rational and in conjunction with Roe v. Wade since it sought to only prevent a certain kind of abortion. However, he must not have envisioned (or does he?) the next step of pro-lifers who now want to insist on women seeking abortion to see an ultrasound of the fetus before “performing the act”.

Frankly, this is akin to emotional blackmail and seeks to put already-emotionally wrought women into a guilt trip. What if the ultrasound test is considered not enough? Would they be subjected to watching baby massacres? William Saletan puts the issue in perspective:

If I were a legislator, I’d offer four amendments to any ultrasound bill. First, the government should pick up the tab. Second, the woman should also be offered a six-hour videotape of a screaming 1-year-old. Third, any juror deliberating whether to issue a death sentence should be offered the chance to view an execution. Fourth, anyone buying meat should be offered the chance to watch video from a slaughterhouse. If my first amendment passed but the others failed, I’d still vote for the bill.

Making a (fiscally) conservative government pay for “social services” might just be the death knell of such a bill. But then with the moral high ground that such legislators hold, their fondness for running up the deficit, and departure from traditional conservative values, you never know. Hundred percent of the taxpayers would be paying for enforcing moral values of less than fifty percent of the voters. Remember that all citizens are taxpayers (or legally expected to be) but not all citizens are voters.