Evangelical leaders downplay potential Roe v. Wade reversal

[DonViejo]

Source: Associated Press



By STEVE PEOPLES
1 hour ago

NEW YORK (AP) — For evangelical Christian leaders like Jerry Falwell Jr., this is their political holy grail.

Like many religious conservatives in a position to know, the Liberty University president with close ties to the White House suspects that the Supreme Court vacancy President Donald Trump fills in the coming months will ultimately lead to the reversal of the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. But instead of celebrating publicly, some evangelical leaders are downplaying their fortune on an issue that has defined their movement for decades.

“What people don’t understand is that if you overturn Roe v. Wade, all that does is give the states the right to decide whether abortion is legal or illegal,” Falwell told The Associated Press in an interview. “My guess is that there’d probably be less than 20 states that would make abortion illegal if given that right.”

Falwell added: “In the ’70s, I don’t know how many states had abortion illegal before Roe v. Wade, but it won’t be near as many this time.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/c3ce142c486e41d2b14bfcea2cbfb59f/Evangelical-leaders-downplay-potential-Roe-v.-Wade-reversal

[ginnyinWI]

1. And not only that,

the conservatives would lose the key issue that they bring out, time and time again for each and every election--vote for use because we are pro-life and they are baby killers!

Surely they wouldn't want that to happen!

[exboyfil]

3. The dog who caught the car

Transporting women is really not that expensive. I wonder if that arrangement will become more formalized. For Texas and Louisiana, I wonder if Mexico could become an option (I know in general the population leans anti-choice, but money talks). Also Canada.

A map shows how Illinois. Minnesota, and Montana are keys to limit travel distance.

Of course the next step will be laws preventing these women from traveling between states.

[Snellius]

7. Nearly 70% do not want Roe v. Wade overturned. Probably higher if overturned.

Of course, that is not the same in every state. But remembering what it was like before, people are more likely to morally protest abortion when that freedom is taken for granted as established law.

[exboyfil]

8. It has become binary for the GOP

If they don't deliver this time, their entire party will collapse. I guess Roberts could keep the ball rolling just like he did with ACA (I am convinced that passing and sabotaging it was the intent all along).

[Snellius]

10. Agree. If they DO deliver, the role of evangelicals in their party will collapse as well

People forget or never experienced what it was like before Roe v. Wade.
Banning the right to abortion does not stop abortion. It just makes it a punishable crime and more dangerous as well.

[OliverQ]

40. They also lose their biggest wedge issue if they get rid of it.

[Corgigal]

13. I wonder how they could be stopped.

You take a pregnancy test at home, then drive or fly to your safest option. Who is going to police that. Just purchase the testing kit in cash.

I could start a non profit, free pregnancy kits. No names, but one per month.

[Snellius]

5. Exactly

This has been a bogus bugaboo of the evangelical right, whose moral self-righteousness has trouble justifying how their hateful and uncompassionate politics follows the teachings of Christ. They would be afraid of facing their own hypocrisy if this personal right were to disappear.

[olegramps]

12. The repeal might prove to be to the benefit Democrats.

If the issue results in giving the states the right to determine, it could have serious financial consequences for those states that severally restrict it. Will companies what to remain or relocate to states that have outlawed abortion that could result in massive boycotts of their products or services? It could be a determining factor in a whole host of issues, possibly migration into or out of the state leading to increased conservatism that could affect tourism for example. Unfortunately, it could lead to further polarization making the extremely conservative states regarded as outcast by the majority. I would appreciate any response pro or con.

[3Hotdogs]

16. Nah, they still got the gays they can go after.

Everyone knows Jesus don't go for that gay stuff. Just because he was paling around with 12 guys don't mean nuthin'. Now if the Dems win, there will be more buggery, man-on-doggery woman-on-cattery (I don't know exactly how that works) and don't forget the Matachine Society.

That's why you gotta contribute to Jim Bakker and Pat Robertson so's they can help elect Republicans and make 'merica great again.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Our world will be so yucky, our future so dim, and the people so narcissistically creepy

that no one will have sex anymore. Not only that the hormone-mimicking chemicals are dampening libido.

So these sexual Puritans will no longer have an issue.

Problem solved.

[exboyfil]

4. I discussed with my daughter

Permanent sterilization. She is 20 and is strongly considering it, and she is not even sexually active. She works with mental health patients, and while, only a portion would have been impacted by a abortion decision by their mother based upon their condition, she can see the downside risk of a society unwilling to help but mandating these decisions.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Downplaying on purpose.

The religious right knows that a majority of people support abortion rights, and they’re afraid the backlash will result in keeping Roe. They’re hoping that by saying it will never be overturned, people will roll over and they get their right-wing Supreme Court pick, who of course will support overturning Roe. States are already passing laws they know are unconstitutional to create an opportunity for a new SC review of Roe. Once Roe is overturned, the next step is to get Congress to pass laws forbidding insurers to cover birth control. After all, it’s giving special benefits to women that men don’t have! Never mind Viagra—I’m sure someone has looked into treating women for some amorphous ailment with that drug. The only problem they still need to figure out is how to force black and brown women to take birth control while preventing white women from using it. After all, as some politican claimed recently, we do not have enough white babies. Aargh!

[forgotmylogin]

30. if it becomes a state individual thing, then what's the purpose of overturning it?

Except for a political and religious victory.

Perhaps insurers should just flat out offer plans that include reproductive health services and those that don't so people in states that disagree with abortion and family services can decide not to socialize it whether a religious or a monetary concern. Do you want your pap smear covered, church lady? You pay for the insurance. Men would probably always opt out, but doing so also wouldn't cover prostate screenings, fertility treatments, vasectomies, Viagara, etc.

Just make birth control a national mail-order program so pharmacies wouldn't have to deal with religious zealot employees and people can get their supplies (contraceptives, birth control pills, condoms, etc) anywhere privately without having to go to the drug store. I can get cat food to my door in two days, why not this?

[SunSeeker]

9. Ireland finally overturns its abortion ban, but the US is preparing to go back to the dark ages.

[Grins]

11. If it goes, what I would do as a state legislator...

1. Confirm the right in the state constitution. But only for residents of the state for at least a year.
2. Deny that right to those from out-of-state.

Some Evangelical or Reich-wing gas-bag from Sister-Fuck, Mississippi knocks up his sister/cousin/mistress? - no abortion/D&C for you!! We are not your safety valve.

They voted for this so suck on it. They created the problem, they should suffer the consequences. Let's see them cough up the cash to support that new mother and child.

[murielm99]

32. This is another reason why it is important

to vote for Democrats in the state legislatures in each and every state. State and local elections matter.

[arithia]

14. Bullshit and they know it

If Roe is overturned, there are 20 states with trigger laws that will go into effect and outlaw abortion. Most will be after 18 months. 4 will go into effect immediately.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/02/abortion-law-youve-never-heard-could-be-threat-during-trump-era/

They have pushed for this for years. One only need go to Right Wing Watch for a detailed history of Falwell and his ilk ranting about how Trump will rid the country of abortion. They know who their champion is and how many women they can now force to suffer.

[FakeNoose]

15. Even Barry Goldwater was pro-choice

These assholes will just have to realize we're in the 21st century, not the 1st century.
BTW I'm not a Goldwater fan, just pointing out the hypocrisy of these bible-thumpers.

[Bengus81]

18. Like I say over and over,these ass hats in the so called "Republican" party

are NOT Republicans such as they were before Saint Ronnie. These fucks are NEO CONS born out of the Reagan cabal. NOTHING matters except ruling the World and raking in as much CASH as possible for themselves and their cronies. To hell with anyone else.

They'd LOVE to roll this county back to the 1920's and they hey day of nearly zero regulations. Hold shares and trade inside info between other rich shareholders,screw workers over with shit wages, kick em out the door if they got a bit old and slower,let a bank fail and to hell with those who lost all. Lay people off right and left with zero benefits for them.


And on and on and on..........

[FakeNoose]

20. The whack-a-doodles won't convince the rest of the GOP

... and they don't have enough votes just among themselves. Cooler heads will prevail, I'm sure of it.

[moose65]

17. This might be a careful-what-you-wish-for scenario for them

They have used abortion all these years to stir up the right wing to vote. If that issue is gone, then the sheep might start to question the other things that Republicans do. It still boggles my mind that Trump is now their pro-life champion. He doesn't give a shit about abortion, and he's even on video saying how pro-choice he is. Unreal!!

[exboyfil]

27. I guess we will be impressed by the slyness

of the bait and switch when it comes about.

As another poster mentioned, so long as they have gays to beat up on, all is good.

[Solly Mack]

19. I can't imagine any scenario here I'd take the word of any Falwell.

Or any right-wing Evangelical for that matter.

But, other people's mileage may vary for whatever reasons they have.

[TheBlackAdder]

21. Perhaps they know their anti-abortion stance is a biblical perversion used to manipulate congregants

.

Most of the Bible supports that life does not exist until the first breath is taken.


Perversions about God knowing who each fetus is, from dirt, blah, blah, blah is just a sham interpretation.

While God might know each fetus and their fate, perhaps that fetus wasn't meant to be born in the first place.

Oh, the whole dirt thing just shows that the Bronze-Aged rabbis had clerics had no idea how babies started.

.

[exboyfil]

28. It is clear in the Bible that an

abortion is authorized if the child is not the husbands, and God makes the selection. It was more about property rights. The death of an unborn child through the action of another led to compensation, not execution for murder.

[joanbarnes]

22. Yea, 'cuz where are the hypocrites going to get their abortions?

[Midnight Writer]

38. Michael Cohen has a guy.

[Liberal Veteran]

23. Don't patronize me or belittle my intelligent you knuckle dragging misogynistic con artists...

...hiding behind a cross and a smile.

You don't fool me for one second.

[joanbarnes]

24. ...and then the Morons will have to find another issue...

[dembotoz]

26. exactly they have milked this cow for decade...make big bucks off it

[uppityperson]

25. How many states legal in 1972 before Roe v Wade? 2. NY and CA

As my friends found out.

[ancianita]

31. Through stealth and cunning, the "laws of men" have always been used to hurt women's human rights.

[Honeycombe8]

33. Let's made it legal to discriminate against protestant religions.

All that would do is shift it to the states to decide whether to discriminate against Baptists or evangelicals. Would he be okay with that?

I would bet that no more than 20 states would rule for legalizing discrimination against Baptists. They can drive to a neighboring state to attend a church service, drink at a water fountain, get a job or healthcare, etc. No problem!

Yeah...they're trying to tamp down the furor. I grew up in a pre-Roe v Wade world. It means no abortions across most of the country. The entire south and other regions. A young woman will NOT be able to get an abortion, unless she's wealthy. If she's wealthy, her parents probably "know someone" locally who will do it.

[turbinetree]

34. Hey Falwell jr.l your so full of shit...............your bull shit

will mean that not only will woman be under attack and treated less equally, that people with disabilities, medicare, social security disabilities, medicaid, social security, federal minimum wages, drugs, water, food air, etc.......will be attacked...................so you can really go fuck your self------------------------------if your fascist party get more than 2/3 of states and control the states, and can really pack the courts with your litmus test of shit and its dogma, your fucking ilk can call a constitutional convention.......................and then you can really fuck people over, your just short by 3 or 4 states now..................so your bull shit that its only 20 states is full of shit from a hypocrite, that's made millions off the fact that if students in your cult protest, what exactly happens.............here lets remind our readers what happened...................

https://thinkprogress.org/liberty-university-police-detain-evangelical-pastorl-9d63dfe35acb/



.......................I really don't like theocracies, they really like to kill people based on religion or haven't you seen any current events lately ........................


November 2018 cannot get here fast enough......................vote

[marble falls]

35. The big thing I get from it is they finally realized their worst fears and all the praying in public

falling on deaf ears meant not a fucking thing. They are not and haven't been in memory any kind of real majority - moral or not.

[Owl]

36. Piss on Falwell and their ilk.

[BlueIdaho]

37. Two Words...

Fuck Them.

[Shoonra]

39. Abortion might stay legal ... but not available

My recollection is that,, prior to the Roe v. Wade decision, only one or two States allowed abortion (one was NY and that was just a few years before the decision) and even that was limited in a few ways.

After the Roe v. Wade decision declared that an elective abortion was a woman's Constitutional Right, at least half (probably more) of the States tried to encumber it, limit it, and generally make it unavailable to women. If the Roe v. Wade decision were to be overturned by the Supreme Court there would undoubtedly be some comments attached that might indicate what's what.

If, for example, the Supreme Court simply turned Roe v. Wade inside out and openly declared that there was no right, at any time, for an elective abortion, then we'd be thrown back into the grim days before 1973 with the only abortions being allowed were those approved by hospital committees because of (mostly) significant risk to the woman's life and very little more (not even serious birth defects). Even pregnancy by rape would probably not allow an abortion. Unplanned and unwanted pregnancy would legally be instances of Mandatory Motherhood ... or else terminated in a variety of illegal, and probably dangerous, ways. I am not ready to believe the Choicers' talk of thousand and millions of deaths caused by illegal abortions, but I'm plenty sure that it's much more dangerous than properly done doctor-supervised procedures. However, nowadays, legal abortion having given us enormous opportunities to learn more of the medical mysteries, there are more and safer ways to terminate a pregnancy without a doctor's presence than were available in 1973.

If the Supreme Court behaves the way it has since more and more conservatives were appointed, abortion would remain apparently legal but States could get away with all sorts of limits and encumbrances - such as birth control clinics having to make all sorts of architectural changes to imitate full-scale surgical hospitals. Stuff designed to make abortion clinics close down. At which point, the non-doctor alternatives such as Plan-B pills and other methods (some of them going back to the wire hanger) would fill the gap, even if illegal or very dangerous. Absent Roe v. Wade, the individual States, left to their own to decide this, would probably yield to pressure politics and squeeze access to elective abortions to nothing or nearly so.

Making abortions illegal again will not really stop abortions. It will only make them crude, unhygienic, and dangerous. And, yes, some women will die.

[Mc Mike]

41. Yeah, they're sneaky little nazi weasels.