Judge Sotomayor: Anti-abortion law challenges the Constitution 2:17
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Frida Ghitis (@fridaghitis), a former CNN correspondent and producer, is a columnist for world affairs.
She is a CNN contributor, a columnist for The Washington Post, and a columnist for World Politics Review.
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(CNN) -
The cry of "Freedom!" it resonates across the country, emerging from places like Texas, controlled by Republican officials who use every tool at their disposal to prohibit mask-wearing mandates or vaccination requirements. It is curious, then, that as of Wednesday morning, Texas women are essentially prohibited from opting for an abortion.
The same politicians who declare that the mask requirements are an intolerable interference by the government in the sacrosanct individual freedom, have just imposed the most restrictive abortion law in the country since the Supreme Court made abortion legal in the historic decision of 1973 , Roe vs. Wade.
The Texas law, SB8, took effect because the US Supreme Court and a federal appeals court refused to stop it, despite the fact that it is a clear violation of current law.
Until now, the courts have allowed some restrictions, generally prohibiting late abortions, those that occur beyond the stage in which the fetus is viable, that is, at about 24 weeks of gestation.
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Texas law does two different things, slyly.
First, it bans abortions after just six weeks of pregnancy. At six weeks gestation, few women know they are pregnant. At six weeks, a woman is only one menstrual period late. Professionals say that between 85% and 90% of abortions occur after that time. Some women may seek an abortion earlier, perhaps after rape or incest. The harsh Texas law, unlike most laws that restrict abortion, also makes it illegal for women to terminate a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. The only exception is for "medical emergencies".
The second disgusting aspect of Texas law is its enforcement system, reminiscent of the methods used by the secret police in fascist regimes.
Just as, for example, the East German Stasi pitted neighbor against neighbor, turning its citizens into spies and making ordinary people criminals, this law is based on betraying others and turning perfectly normal behavior into a punishable offense.
Biden Calls Texas Ban on Abortion After 6 Weeks "Extreme" and Says It Violates a Constitutional Right
The legislation dictates that anyone can file a lawsuit against a healthcare provider or anyone they believe assisted an abortion, and creates a true reward system for successful civil lawsuits, with a minimum potential payment of $ 10,000. dollars in damages, plus legal fees for informants.
To help an abortion, someone could do as little as take a pregnant woman to the doctor.
The law could mobilize battalions of abortion "bounty hunters".
The idea is so corrosive, so poisonous, that one can see how it spawns all sorts of vengeful actions.
Anyone can report anyone.
Emotional and financial harassment of abortion providers is almost guaranteed, but there is also room for frivolous attacks driven by entirely unrelated motives.
As President Joe Biden pointed out, the law "flagrantly violates" rights established decades ago, and will have a significant impact not only on women, but especially on minority women.
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Wade
The effect begins immediately, although the long-term prospects for the law are unclear.
The Supreme Court will preside over a major abortion case this fall.
Judge Sotomayor: Anti-abortion law challenges the Constitution 2:17
Anti-abortion groups are delighted, of course.
One organization has already created a website for anonymous whistleblowers to start reporting on anyone they suspect of breaking the law.
Opponents of the law have responded in kind, attacking the website with bogus entries, hoping to flood it with useless material.
This unique approach, which makes citizens rather than government a key element of the law, was a tactical decision that experts say makes it more difficult for courts to overturn.
But it doesn't hide the fact that the Texas government tells women what to do with their bodies.
Such an invasive action by the government in one of the most personal decisions that a citizen can make is especially shocking in the midst of a pandemic, during which many of the same people who promote this law have totally rejected the government's right to interfere in their lives.
Texas governor lifts mask mandate (despite warnings from health officials)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the law and is the state's top Republican official, issued decrees banning any mandate related to the coronavirus.
He declared his opposition to any restrictions to fight the virus.
He solemnly proclaimed that "the time for government decrees" and "the time for personal responsibility" is past.
In Texas, even private businesses are prohibited from requiring their clients to provide proof of vaccination, a gross violation of free market principles. The state has banned public school systems from requiring the use of masks, a direct violation of the old Republican principle that advocates local control of schools and other jurisdictions. In fact, no government entity, no matter how small, is authorized to issue vaccination or mask-wearing mandates. Covid-19 has killed more than 57,000 people in Texas.
The governor and his Republican Party supporters are in favor of free choice when it comes to masks and vaccines, and in favor of life when it comes to abortion.
They are in favor of freedom and personal responsibility in the case of masks, but against in the case of abortion.
Curious, huh?
The contradiction is revealing.
There is more than just hypocrisy here, though it also abounds.
Clearly, the Texas Republicans' cries for "freedom" have little to do with freedom.
And devotion to "life" is not at all about saving lives.
Many opponents of abortion are sincere in their beliefs.
And some opponents of the COVID-19 restrictions actually believe that the power of the government should be more limited.
But in the Venn diagram, those who fall into both categories, including Abbott and most politicians in the Texas Republican Party, something else is at stake: They are playing politics with people's lives.
Abortion