40 years after Roe v. Wade, abortion foes march on
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Abortion opponents marked the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Tuesday with workshops, prayers and calls for more legislation chipping away at the abortion rights the U.S. Supreme Court decision seemed to guarantee.
Many looked to Kansas, where Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a series of tough, anti-abortion measures during his first two years in office. Much to the dismay of abortion-rights advocates, Kansas has been part of a wave in which states with Republican governors and GOP-controlled Legislatures enacted new restrictions on abortion providers.
Hundreds of abortion opponents gathered in Topeka for a rally with Brownback, who has called on lawmakers to create "a culture of life" and is expected to support whatever further restrictions they approve. Kansans for Life, the most influential of the state's anti-abortion groups, plans to ask lawmakers to enact legislation ensuring that the state doesn't finance abortions even indirectly, such as through tax breaks or allowing doctors-in-training at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., to perform them on the center's time. The group also wants to strengthen a state law dictating what information must be provided to abortion patients.
"There are still things we can do," Mary Kay Culp, the group's executive director, said before Tuesday's events, which also included workshops and prayer gatherings.
Abortion rights advocates have celebrated the Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decision because it declared women have a constitutional right to abortions in some circumstances and prevented states from banning it.
Across the nation, many events were scheduled Tuesday by advocacy groups on the two sides of the debate. The National Organization for Women, for example, planned a candlelight vigil at the Supreme Court to commemorate the Roe ruling, which it supports. The annual March for Life, which traditionally draws several hundred thousand abortion opponents to Washington, D.C., is scheduled for Friday.
"It should be honored - not trying to find loopholes, " said Rep. Emily Perry, a lawyer and Democrat from the Kansas City suburb of Mission, Kan., who supports abortion rights. "I wish the amount of energy put into narrowing Roe v. Wade would be put into school funding or our budget."
In the four decades since Roe v. Wade, a series of court decisions have narrowed its scope. With each decision, lawmakers in multiple states have followed up by making abortions more difficult to obtain or imposing restrictions on providers.
According to the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-rights think tank, 135 laws aimed in some way at restricting access to abortion were enacted in 30 states - most of them with Republican-controlled legislatures - in 2011 and 2012. More such measures already have been proposed in several states this year.
In Wyoming, for example, a pending bill would prohibit abortions after a fetal heartbeat is audible. A similar "heartbeat" bill is pending in Mississippi and one was debated but later sidetracked in Ohio last year.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Rick Perry has told lawmakers that he expects more anti-abortion laws during the 2013 session to work toward his goal "to make abortion at any stage a thing of the past." Anti-abortion activists have pledged to use every legal means possible to make obtaining abortions difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.
It's far rarer for bills strengthening access to abortion to be enacted these days, but there are some pending proposals. In their state of the state speeches this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo endorsed a bill that would further entrench the right to abortion in state laws, while Washington state's new governor, Jay Inslee, said he wants to enact a measure that would require insurers who cover maternity care - which Washington insurers are mandated to provide - to also pay for abortions. Both Inslee and Cuomo are Democrats.
A majority of states now impose a waiting period for patients wishing to obtain an abortion, and three-quarters require parental involvement before a minor can obtain an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. All such policies are in place in Kansas.
Kansas has three abortion clinics, all of them in the Kansas City area. An abortion rights group, Trust Women, plans to open a new clinic in Wichita in the building where the late Dr. George Tiller performed late-term procedures until he was murdered in 2009 by a man professing strong anti-abortion views. But the new clinic doesn't plan to end pregnancies as late as Tiller did - and couldn't in most cases under a 2011 state law restricting such procedures at or after the 22nd week of pregnancy.
The American Civil Liberties Union recently dropped a federal lawsuit against a state law restricting private health insurance coverage for abortions, after a judge's ruling limited the issues to be decided at trial. A challenge to state regulations specifically for abortion providers is still pending in the state's courts.
Many looked to Kansas, where Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a series of tough, anti-abortion measures during his first two years in office. Much to the dismay of abortion-rights advocates, Kansas has been part of a wave in which states with Republican governors and GOP-controlled Legislatures enacted new restrictions on abortion providers.
Hundreds of abortion opponents gathered in Topeka for a rally with Brownback, who has called on lawmakers to create "a culture of life" and is expected to support whatever further restrictions they approve. Kansans for Life, the most influential of the state's anti-abortion groups, plans to ask lawmakers to enact legislation ensuring that the state doesn't finance abortions even indirectly, such as through tax breaks or allowing doctors-in-training at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., to perform them on the center's time. The group also wants to strengthen a state law dictating what information must be provided to abortion patients.
"There are still things we can do," Mary Kay Culp, the group's executive director, said before Tuesday's events, which also included workshops and prayer gatherings.
Abortion rights advocates have celebrated the Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decision because it declared women have a constitutional right to abortions in some circumstances and prevented states from banning it.
Across the nation, many events were scheduled Tuesday by advocacy groups on the two sides of the debate. The National Organization for Women, for example, planned a candlelight vigil at the Supreme Court to commemorate the Roe ruling, which it supports. The annual March for Life, which traditionally draws several hundred thousand abortion opponents to Washington, D.C., is scheduled for Friday.
"It should be honored - not trying to find loopholes, " said Rep. Emily Perry, a lawyer and Democrat from the Kansas City suburb of Mission, Kan., who supports abortion rights. "I wish the amount of energy put into narrowing Roe v. Wade would be put into school funding or our budget."
In the four decades since Roe v. Wade, a series of court decisions have narrowed its scope. With each decision, lawmakers in multiple states have followed up by making abortions more difficult to obtain or imposing restrictions on providers.
According to the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-rights think tank, 135 laws aimed in some way at restricting access to abortion were enacted in 30 states - most of them with Republican-controlled legislatures - in 2011 and 2012. More such measures already have been proposed in several states this year.
In Wyoming, for example, a pending bill would prohibit abortions after a fetal heartbeat is audible. A similar "heartbeat" bill is pending in Mississippi and one was debated but later sidetracked in Ohio last year.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Rick Perry has told lawmakers that he expects more anti-abortion laws during the 2013 session to work toward his goal "to make abortion at any stage a thing of the past." Anti-abortion activists have pledged to use every legal means possible to make obtaining abortions difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.
It's far rarer for bills strengthening access to abortion to be enacted these days, but there are some pending proposals. In their state of the state speeches this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo endorsed a bill that would further entrench the right to abortion in state laws, while Washington state's new governor, Jay Inslee, said he wants to enact a measure that would require insurers who cover maternity care - which Washington insurers are mandated to provide - to also pay for abortions. Both Inslee and Cuomo are Democrats.
A majority of states now impose a waiting period for patients wishing to obtain an abortion, and three-quarters require parental involvement before a minor can obtain an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. All such policies are in place in Kansas.
Kansas has three abortion clinics, all of them in the Kansas City area. An abortion rights group, Trust Women, plans to open a new clinic in Wichita in the building where the late Dr. George Tiller performed late-term procedures until he was murdered in 2009 by a man professing strong anti-abortion views. But the new clinic doesn't plan to end pregnancies as late as Tiller did - and couldn't in most cases under a 2011 state law restricting such procedures at or after the 22nd week of pregnancy.
The American Civil Liberties Union recently dropped a federal lawsuit against a state law restricting private health insurance coverage for abortions, after a judge's ruling limited the issues to be decided at trial. A challenge to state regulations specifically for abortion providers is still pending in the state's courts.
BTW, did everyone hear about the New Mexico state representative who has proposed legislation that would make women who get an abortion after being raped or becoming the victim of incest guilty of a felony count of destruction of evidence? Yeah, I'm not a fan either. Here's her contact information. Go wild: Brown, Cathrynn N. 1814 N. Guadalupe Street Carlsbad, NM 88220 cath@cathrynnbrown.com (575) 302-2746
What else do you expect? I can't ever see everyone agreeing that abortion should be legal. Latest studies do show that a majority favor them however. Hopefully, without sounding morbid, as the older generation passes away the younger people will probably raise the "favor" side even higher.
The guy in this photo should be charged with endangering a child as well... he looks like he is raising the other hand...only thing missing is a 'WHITE POWER' caption
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@the unvarnished truth :
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And just how many "kids enter abortion clinics?Â
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And please do NOT say the unborn babies...they are NOT "kids" - they are zygotes or fetuses. They are incapable of surviving outside the womb independently.
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Keep your beliefs off my body & out of my life.
 @LocalLady  @grace:  Here's a little biology. An embryo and fetus (literal meaning, "little one") are both of the species homosapien. An infant, toddler, and adolescent child are also of the same species, homosapien. During the life cycle of any human being, you are always a homosapien. IT IS HUMAN! The heartbeat begins beating at 18 days.   Why is that SO difficult for you to understand? Here is a question for you. What stage do they magically become human?
 @grace:Â
I will talk REAL Slow for you.
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THEY ARE NOT BABIES! They are zygotes & fetuses. They cannot survive outside the womb at 12 weeks. They are not "children", they are not "babies", they are not even "people at that stage.
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Why is that SO difficult for you to understand?
I don't understand your logic. Babies can't survive without someone taking care of them.Â
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It is none of the governments business or anyone else's ... honestly the people who think victims of incest or rape should be unable to terminate a unwanted pregnancy because someone else says it is wrong is sick! - what do you tell the son or daughter about something like that when they ask who is my daddy or whatever... Any argument saying it is the duty of any practicing *blank*ian thing to do are full of crap and way out of line to impose their religious beliefs on others | If you ask me separation of church and state should extend to not only schools but to GOVERNMENT as well!
here is the Rep. coming into your life to tell you to do what they day or else, its a personal choice not the choice of big Gov.
What happened to "we want abortion to be rare and safe?" These measures put on by many states are logical and necessary. Would you like to step into a clinic for surgery and the nurses or doctors are not qualified? Or the clinic itself doesn't pass safety regulations? Or the doctor doesn't give you all the risks for your surgery so that you can make an informed decision? Why do abortion clinics get away with it? I have seen many reports of "botched" abortions which resulted in women dying or getting seriously hurt. If this happened in a hospital for any other procedure, the public would be in arms over this and want change! In many states including our state, women can get abortions up to 9 months. The day before they give birth, they can get an abortion. This is not safe or rare. Our country was founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Life is number one. You don't have to believe in God to know that every human being deserves to live.
 @grace:Â
".... In many states including our state, women can get abortions up to 9 months. The day before they give birth, they can get an abortion ...."
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Wow. You swallowed the talking points hook, line & sinker.
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Everything you posted is an out & out lie.
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But, hey - keep believing what they tell you to believe, spouting the talking points.
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Maybe you should try educating yourself on the truth, what the reality really is.
@Grace Yawn... It's all about choice. You can make the choice with what options you wish to choose from with your body and others have the same right with theirs. Abortions are carried out for a number of reasons. Not just the 'I don't wanna be a mommy' reason that many from your side of the fence tout. There's a great number that are done out of medical reasons, i.e. the fetus won't live to term, the pregnancy will ultimately kill the mother if allowed to go to term, just to name a few. Forced violent rape is another reason. I don't pretend to understand the pro's and con's that someone considers when contemplating a decision like that. I also consider myself very fortunate not to have been in a position where I have had to. While the 'save every baby' slogan is an awfully nice one, it also bears as much resemblance to reality as leave it to beaver does.
@what?@Grace I think the saddest part of your comment is your first word. Yawn. How sad. This is not just some topic to discuss and disagree. There are lives at stake. So it's all about choice? So if I want to do drugs or drink, it is my choice but it hurts my body. So there are things I shouldn't do because it is not right. and it can hurt me. Abortion hurts women physically, emotionally, spiritually. Some women who have a history of abortion struggle with high-risk pregnancies. They were never warned of the risks of abortion. They were never told about pelvic adhesions, Asherman's Syndrome, placenta incretia, placenta previa, and cervical pregnancy that can result from abortions.
In regards to medical reasons:Â It is now possible for physicians to identify those extraordinarily rare instances where birth might cause harm, and to take measures to protect the health of mother and child long before the birth occurs. When you combine that medical reality with the fact that not one piece of federal pro-life legislation proposed since 1973 would have prevented abortions necessary to save the life of the mother, this whole issue quickly gets exposed as a phony one.
Take a look at China. There are stories after stories of forced abortions. Women are threatened with fines, jail time, or in some rare instances, death. They are forced to abort up to 9 months (if they are caught). It is a horrible tragedy. The result? Girls are aborted more than boys and if they are born, most live in orphanages. They have no value in the society. Is this what you want our country to become? Yes there are the reasons "I don't want to be a mommy," But what if it comes to "I don't want a girl." When does it stop? Human life has no value.Â
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@Grace @what?
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".... So it's all about choice? So if I want to do drugs or drink, it is my choice but it hurts my body. So there are things I shouldn't do because it is not right. and it can hurt me ...."
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YOU just agreed - it's all about choice. You can make whatever choices for yourself that you want - but NOTHINFG gives yu the right to make choices or other people.
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And PLEASE quit with the "there are lives at stake" garbage. They are NOT "people", they are not "children", they are not "babies". They are zygotes, fetuses. They cannot survive outsode the womb, even with medical intervention since most abortions occure aat or before the 12th week.
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What you personally may or may not want to do or choose to do is YOUR business ONLY. Likewise, what OTHERS want or choose to do is THEIR business only.
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BUTT OUT!
These Republicans are doubling down on their stupidity. In the long run, it will only further destroy their party.Â
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It's clear that they learned nothing in the last election. They will further become a local party able only to win local elections.
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".... "It should be honored - not trying to find loopholes, " said Rep. Emily Perry, a lawyer and Democrat from the Kansas City suburb of Mission, Kan., who supports abortion rights. "I wish the amount of energy put into narrowing Roe v. Wade would be put into school funding or our budget." ...."
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SO true! All the time, all the money, all the energy expended on this one single issue - an issue that was already decided by SCOTUS - it would all be much better spent on improving the lives of REAL children, those that are already amongst us, living & breathing & needing care and education.
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Why is it that those who oppose it, those who would force their beliefs on others, feel that they have some sort of "right" to do so? This decision is NOT about them, it is NOT about what "they" believe. It is between the woman & her care provider/physician ONLY!
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Also, for thos claiming it is the murder of a child - BS! It is a zygote, a clump of cells. It cannot live outside the womb as it is not yet developed enough.
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I would LOVE to see all these laws & lawmakers show the same amount of care & concern for the children living in poverty, the children who desperately need help NOW - but because of the traditionally Republican stance, are ignored & devalued, have services cut, and are left uncared for.
I agree with most of what you said. Except:"Why is it that those who oppose it, those who would force their beliefs on others, feel that they have some sort of "right" to do so?"
I think one it is thier right. Two, much like the gay agenda or PETA (to name few) if you disagree with, you are a "hater". Can't have it both way's. Freedom of speech even if you don't agree.
BTW I do support the right to abortion.
 @bocabob:Â
I disagree. They have a "right" to believe whatever they want, but they have absolutely NO right to force others to follow their beliefs. BIG difference.
 @LocalLady You go girl!Â
These Republicans are asking for more and more welfare recipients in their states. Funny how they can't seem to connect the dots.
What an idiot holding his child that way. Ever hear of traumatic brain injury.
Roe v, Wade is safe on the Federal level at least for the next four years. Those replublican 'good ol' boy' states that are limiting access are going to have to find themselves having a tough time getting re-elected.
@Darn it! unless the people in those states agree with them...not all voters are as liberal as Seattle
 @madminer15 True. But I don't think they are taking into account many of the younger voters. These also tend to be the states that tend to have little respect for women.
@the unvarnished truth
You keepo throwing that number around - how about some verifiable proof to back it up?
 @the unvarnished truth I don't know what your 55 million girls refers to. Are you saying their are 27.5 irresponsible men who didn't wear a condom or keep it in their pants when they should have?
Hi,
I am oppose to abortion because Life is sacred and we need to protect the innocent children who can not protect themselves.
Of course, I think guns are swell, and all those children who keep dying from gun wounds, are just the price we pay for freedom.Â
And those 4500 Americans who died in iraq, they are the price we pay for freedom also, even though it turns out there was no real reason to be there and so those 150,000 innocent iraqi civilians who died.... well war is hell.
But life is sacred, unless twelve people too stupid to get out of jury duty decide the government should kill a person. In fact, our government is not killing enough people. We need to speed up this process of the death penality and not make sure those people on death row are really guilty. heck, I'm sure they've done something wrong or they wouldn't be there, right?
But ulitmately, banning abortion is about protecting life, because it is the christian thing to do. If jesus were here right now, he would tell us to stop having abortions. He'd also tell us to hell with poor and old people, we need to get rid of Social Security and Medicare becuase we need more tanks and guns.
I am a small government christian sort of person which Is why I want the government to restrict abortions, decided who can and can not get married, and have the biggest military on the planet.Â
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/what republicans actually believe.
@T H I S it must be easy to stereotype people when you obviously arent one of them.
 @T H I S ..and reverse the concepts in your theory and you have the beliefs of the democrats...and people wonder why things never get done. Our political parties are getting further and further to the extremes which creates more distance in which they have to move to come to terms...a very good reason to create term limits for all elected offices.
 @T H I S whew! You really had me there until the end. :)
Just because someone is pro-choice doesn't mean that if it came down to it, they would choose to have an abortion. If you men posting here feel that strongly about it take some responsibility and use a condom!
 @Darn it! For many of them a condom or recreational sex for that matter might be a sin.
Every sperm is sacred,Every sperm is great.If a sperm is wasted,God gets quite irate.
"Monty Python's The Meaning of Life."
 @thebigteacher Well, they can take their 'might be sin' and put a sock on it!!!!
@the unvarnished truth @Darn it! Yawn... That's a HUGE streatch. A baby is not a fetus and a fetus is not a baby.
 @the unvarnished truth Undergo what procedure?
 @FormerMarineSgt One of the problems is that many of these people believe that their religion is the only religion so we all should be subject to it's dictates. Not true, but you can't convince them of that.
It's not just about abortion. Women don't want to give over control of their body. Remeber when China said their females could not have more than two children?Â
No one is forcing abortions on anyone. If you don't want one, don't have one.Â
@Darn it! - isn't the sock supposed to go on something between his legs as pregnancy prevention?
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Seriously though - thebigteacher: Not everyone believes in God in the same way, and because our country is based on the Constitution where different religious beleifs are not only allowed, they are demanded to have the same level of legal respect and status as everyone else's. Therefore, these 'our way is the only way' folks need to realize that they can have thier religious demands WITHIN those who believe like they do, and they cannot demand that everyone else follows thier version of religious beliefs. And yes, abortion falls within that 'keep your hands off my beliefs and I'll respect yours' world.
@Darn it! - nah - it's much easier for these guys to get mad at the woman for daring to get pregnant AND for daring to keep the child AND for daring to abort the pregnancy, depending which path the woman dares to choose.
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I am not one of those kinds of guys. I never had to react like an idiot when my girlfriend (or more accurately my wife) got pregnant.  We both agreed to have all three of her pregnancies end with the production of three wonderful kids that have brought joy to use for all these years.Â
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However, that doesn't qualify me to make the decision for any woman. Â
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You (meaning anyone on either side of this discussion) can have your religious beleifs (as I do), but you do NOT have the right to force yours down my throat anymore than I have the right to force mine down yours.
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 @FormerMarineSgt Excellent post. I am sure your wife appreciates the respect you show her everyday.Â
I recommend reading Freakonomics http://www.freakonomics.com/books/freakonomics/chapter-excerpts/chapter-4/
It's an eye-opener, no matter which side you are on.
I wish they would include the number of abortions in the last 40 years.Â
 @Xirxious You probably don't want to know.  It is always a pretty shocking number.Â
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@the unvarnished truth @Xirxious Not at all. It's a very poor comparison. Those deaths were orchestrated by one individual and carried out by those under their command and by their orders. Abortions are carried out at the consent of the mother and of the mother's free will. Furthermore, of that number, of which I dispute it's validity but I'm not going to engage in that debate, that number also includes abortions carried out for health and safety reasons. I.E. the mother and or the baby's life is in jeopardy if the pregnancy is allowed to continue. Also included in your imaginary number is rape victims.
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What this is about is the desire to force personal beliefs on everyone else. America doesn't work that way. Sorry. The countries whom the individuals you mentioned called home however does work that way. If that's the environment you wish to live in, I strongly suggest you consider a move overseas.
 @formermarinesgt:Â
SOPT ON!!!
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We can all see how well "Abstinance Only" works - just look at Bristol Palin!
@what? - people will twist statistics and facts to meet thier predetermined agendas.
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This applies doubly to those of the religious or right wing persuasions.
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They will blissfully ignore the differences between the totalitarian states where the millions upon millions die to the individual decisions to have (or not have) abortions. They will also include worldwide numbers of abortions performed in thier 'statistics' about thier desire to ban abortions here - even though American laws CANNOT change the number of abortions performed outside of this country.
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They also blissfully ignore that there are fewer abortions being performed today than in years past.
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They also blissfully ignore the things that create the need - the lack of proper sex ed in this country, the lack of access to pregnancy prevention to the poor, etc. etc. because 'how dare we teach / support those sluts' - when doing so could actually prevent MANY of the abortions they demand be stopped....
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If they really cared about stopping abortion, they'd stop lying and stop being hypocritical about what causes the need for it and start addressing the issues that create the need....
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@Xirxious What purpose would that serve?
Against abortion but in favor of holding children in dangerous positions?
 @therunner That was my thought - that does not look like a good way to hold an 8-month old.
@tats76 @therunner -- that kind of hypocritical act is well within the realm of the 'true believer' like that guy clearly is.  Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to demanding that all others be 'true believers' in a way that matches HIS personal beliefs....
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@the unvarnished truth @therunner Nice. So you wish to call someone names for taking a stance different to your own? Excellent way to engage in a debate.