[Dialogue] Abortion Rights Go South

Thu Mar 9 09:29:21 EST 2006

AlterNet

Abortion Rights Go South

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet
Posted on March 7, 2006, Printed on March 9, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/story/33242/

South Dakota is so rarely found on the leading edge of the far out, the
wiggy, the California-esque. But it has now staked its claim. First to
Outlaw Abortion This Century.

The state legislature of South Dakota, in all its wisdom and majesty, a
legislature comprised of sons and daughters of the soil from Aberdeen to
Zell, have usurped the right of the women of that state to decide whether or
not to bear the child of an unwanted pregnancy. They will decide. Women will
do what they decide.

These towering solons, representing citizens from the great cosmopolitan
centers of Rapid City and Sioux Falls to the bosky dells near Yankton, are
noted for their sagacity and understanding. When you think "enlightenment,"
the first thing that comes to your mind is "the South Dakota Legislature,"
right?

As well it might. The purpose of the law is to force a decision from the
United States Supreme Court, where the appointments of John Roberts and Sam
Alito have now shored up the anti-choice forces.

The South Dakota Legislature has made it a crime for a doctor to perform an
abortion under any circumstances except to save the life of the mother.
There are no exceptions for rape, incest or to preserve the health of the
mother. Should this strike you as hard cheese, State Sen. Bill Napoli,
R-Rapid City, explains how rape and incest could be exceptions under the
"life" clause. Napoli believes most abortions are performed for
"convenience," but he told "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer" about how he
thinks a "real-life example" of the exception could be invoked: 

"A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped,
savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her
virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as
bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated. I mean, that girl,
could be so messed up, physically and psychologically, that carrying that
child could very well threaten her life."

Please stop and reread the paragraph above. See? Clearly Napoli's exception
would not apply to the South Dakota woman also interviewed by the NewsHour.
"Michelle" is in her 20s, has a low-paying job and two children. And says
she simply cannot afford a third. She drove five hours to the state's only
abortion clinic: 

"It was difficult when I found out I was pregnant. I was saddened because I
knew that I'd probably have to make this decision. Like I said, I have two
children, so I look into their eyes and I love them. It's been difficult,
you know, it's not easy. And I don't think it's, you know, ever easy on a
woman, but we need that choice."

But who is she to make that choice when Bill Napoli can make it for her? He
explains: 

"When I was growing up here in the wild west, if a young man got a girl
pregnant out of wedlock, they got married, and the whole darned neighborhood
was involved in that wedding. I mean, you just didn't allow that sort of
thing to happen, you know? I mean, they wanted that child to be brought up
in a home with two parents, you know, that whole story. And so I happen to
believe that can happen again. . I don't think we're so far beyond that,
that we can't go back to that."

I find this so profound I am considering putting Sen. Napoli in charge of
all moral, ethical and medical decisions made by women. Certainly lucky for
the women of South Dakota that he's there, and perhaps that's what we all
need -- a man to make decisions for us in case we should decide to do
something serious just for our own convenience.

Look at some of the incompetent women we have running around in this
country. Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright -- now there are a couple
of girls in need of guidance from the South Dakota legislature. Female
doctors, lawyers, airplane pilots, engineers and, for that matter, female
members of the South Dakota Legislature -- who could ever trust them with an
important decision?

In South Dakota, pharmacists can refuse to fill a prescription for
contraceptives should it trouble their conscience, and some groups who
worked on the anti-abortion bill believe contraception also needs to be
outlawed. Good plan. After that, we'll reconsider women's property rights,
civil right and voting rights.

For years, the women's movement has been going around asking, "Who decides?"
as though that were the issue. Well, here's the answer. Bill Napoli decides,
and if you're not happy with that arrangement, well, you'd better be
prepared to do something about it. 

Molly Ivins writes about politics, Texas and other bizarre happenings. 

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