Making perfect the enemy of the good - South Dakota and abortion
Want some entertainment? Try this.
Host a talk show. And make the topic something like "are you for keeping abortion legal, or do you think that abortion should be outlawed." Then open the lines. And you will get every opinion imaginable - and you may learn some new words, too!
Abortion became such a hot topic because of the way it was made legal, i.e., Roe v Wade. The Supreme Court said abortion is a constitutional right, and whammo! - it was a constitutional right. I heard an interview with the attorney for Roe on NPR (yes, I once listened to it!) and even she was very surprised that it made it this quickly.
By doing this, almost by legislative fiat, you had a bunch of pro-lifers quite angry, because they never had a chance to really battle it in the states, so that is how the pro-life movement got started. In fact, the reason why much of the remaining ideals of the 1960's got socially accepted is that it was worked over very slowly in society, and thru state legislatures, etc. It is the old metaphore about turning up the heat slowly on the frog in the water - versus throwing a frog into a boiling pot of water.
Just in the last few days, the state of South Dakota made abortion illegal - except to save the life of the mother. It passed by large majories in both houses - even many Democrats voted for it. Which kinda explains how Puff Daschle really was an inappropriate choice to represent that state (the current minority leader is socially conservative, and even he represents Nevada).
The rationale is that since there is a Supreme Court that is more likely to overturn Roe, they will pass it. However, there is still a chance this will not happen. There are only four conservative justices. Justice Kennedy is a wild card. And, this provides ammo to the Democrats in the Senate when the next nominee comes along - unless W appoints a Libertarian judge, which is appropriate for a Republican to do, and there is no argument with Democrats on the abortion issue (I am hoping for the day when the court rules the gun registries are a violation of the right to privacy).
However, Justice Kennedy is a wild card. So he might vote to overturn it.
Which shows how much less sense those who are pro-abortion truly have.
Here is why. South Dakota only has one abortion clinic. And, less than 1000 abortions are performed there every year - I think it's something like 700. And how many of those are to save the life of the mother? Even one is enough to influence this statistic - and for every 7-8 abortions, that affects 1% on a specific aspect of this statistic. By comparision, I understand there are over one million abortions per year in the United States.
With this new law, if a woman wants an abortion in South Dakota, she can hop on a bus to another state. It's not like many are performed there every year. And, there are many other options of birth control, too. Sometimes, life is inconvenient, and if you want something, you have to go some distance to get it. Thus, if a Californian wants an AR-15, they have to drive to a gun show in Montana to buy one and bring it back home. However, there are far more Californians who want AR15's (even by percentage of total population) than there are South Dakotan women who want abortions.
However, rather than realize that the world is imperfect, the activists in the abortion movement want abortion to be legal everywhere, and kick into full gear. And, they are willing to gamble big time. Kinda like betting your house on a single game in Vegas.
Common sense is a category that many activists seem to lack. Activists are by-and-large ideologues, and they are incapable of seeing a generally good world unless it is in perfectly ideal terms. True on both sides of the ideological divide. And true here.
So now there is this law that reduces the number of abortions by maybe 600. That can be done in South Dakota. That means that hanger sales will increase by about 600 - if you are to believe them. Actually, it will probably reduce it by less than 100, because if women really need or want the abortion, they will take the inconvenient steps, take a couple of days off work, and get an abortion in another state. Statistically, this is insignificant - a reduction of 100 doesn't even register when over one million is involved.
However, due to the ideological purity of pro-"choice" zealots, (excepting libertarians, how many pro-choise activists favor increased school choice, increased gun rights, increased consumer choice, and less regulatory burdens - as would be the real pro-choice position?) they want abortion to be legal everywhere. They are incapable of ignoring an insignificant dent in an inconspicious place in an otherwise perfectly functional piece of armor. They must fix said dent now. Even if it involves taking time out from slaying the dragon. Even if the dragon is five feet away and breathing massive amounts of fire on them. Even if they have the lance that could slay that dragon immediately.
And by now taking it to the Supreme Court, they are inviting themselves to overturn Roe v Wade. In case they didn't notice, that is exactly why this piece of legistlation was passed. South Dakota is looking to pick a fight. They could have ignored this very minor restriction in the change to the abortion laws and swept it under the rug. Instead, the abortion rights groups are taking the bait.
And like any salmon that takes the bait, the may find themselves roasting over an open fire soon. Even gay-rights groups backed off on pushing their agenda after the 2004 election - they know when it is time to rest a bit, and that not everything can go their way all the time.
You see, if Roe v Wade is overturned, as South Dakota is gambling on, then each state has to pass new abortion laws. Some will be very restrictive, some will be very liberal (undoing Roe will have no effect in Washington State as abortion was legalized here before Roe). And states like Texas will really restict abortion laws. As a result of the newly restrictive laws, the number of abortions will decrease rapidly - maybe by as much as a third. Which is much, much larger than a decrease in seven hundred abortion, maximum. This is what South Dakota is really aiming for.
Now you know the mindset of an ideologue. As Morton Blackwell said, don't make perfect the enemy of the good.
One postscript. While this appears that I am writing like a fear Roe being overturned, those who are readers to this blog will realize I am a conservative, and I am likely to be pro-life. Which I am. I want Roe to be overturned. I am just writing in this manner because I like to give political analysis, as I see it, even if it appears to take a position which I oppose.
Host a talk show. And make the topic something like "are you for keeping abortion legal, or do you think that abortion should be outlawed." Then open the lines. And you will get every opinion imaginable - and you may learn some new words, too!
Abortion became such a hot topic because of the way it was made legal, i.e., Roe v Wade. The Supreme Court said abortion is a constitutional right, and whammo! - it was a constitutional right. I heard an interview with the attorney for Roe on NPR (yes, I once listened to it!) and even she was very surprised that it made it this quickly.
By doing this, almost by legislative fiat, you had a bunch of pro-lifers quite angry, because they never had a chance to really battle it in the states, so that is how the pro-life movement got started. In fact, the reason why much of the remaining ideals of the 1960's got socially accepted is that it was worked over very slowly in society, and thru state legislatures, etc. It is the old metaphore about turning up the heat slowly on the frog in the water - versus throwing a frog into a boiling pot of water.
Just in the last few days, the state of South Dakota made abortion illegal - except to save the life of the mother. It passed by large majories in both houses - even many Democrats voted for it. Which kinda explains how Puff Daschle really was an inappropriate choice to represent that state (the current minority leader is socially conservative, and even he represents Nevada).
The rationale is that since there is a Supreme Court that is more likely to overturn Roe, they will pass it. However, there is still a chance this will not happen. There are only four conservative justices. Justice Kennedy is a wild card. And, this provides ammo to the Democrats in the Senate when the next nominee comes along - unless W appoints a Libertarian judge, which is appropriate for a Republican to do, and there is no argument with Democrats on the abortion issue (I am hoping for the day when the court rules the gun registries are a violation of the right to privacy).
However, Justice Kennedy is a wild card. So he might vote to overturn it.
Which shows how much less sense those who are pro-abortion truly have.
Here is why. South Dakota only has one abortion clinic. And, less than 1000 abortions are performed there every year - I think it's something like 700. And how many of those are to save the life of the mother? Even one is enough to influence this statistic - and for every 7-8 abortions, that affects 1% on a specific aspect of this statistic. By comparision, I understand there are over one million abortions per year in the United States.
With this new law, if a woman wants an abortion in South Dakota, she can hop on a bus to another state. It's not like many are performed there every year. And, there are many other options of birth control, too. Sometimes, life is inconvenient, and if you want something, you have to go some distance to get it. Thus, if a Californian wants an AR-15, they have to drive to a gun show in Montana to buy one and bring it back home. However, there are far more Californians who want AR15's (even by percentage of total population) than there are South Dakotan women who want abortions.
However, rather than realize that the world is imperfect, the activists in the abortion movement want abortion to be legal everywhere, and kick into full gear. And, they are willing to gamble big time. Kinda like betting your house on a single game in Vegas.
Common sense is a category that many activists seem to lack. Activists are by-and-large ideologues, and they are incapable of seeing a generally good world unless it is in perfectly ideal terms. True on both sides of the ideological divide. And true here.
So now there is this law that reduces the number of abortions by maybe 600. That can be done in South Dakota. That means that hanger sales will increase by about 600 - if you are to believe them. Actually, it will probably reduce it by less than 100, because if women really need or want the abortion, they will take the inconvenient steps, take a couple of days off work, and get an abortion in another state. Statistically, this is insignificant - a reduction of 100 doesn't even register when over one million is involved.
However, due to the ideological purity of pro-"choice" zealots, (excepting libertarians, how many pro-choise activists favor increased school choice, increased gun rights, increased consumer choice, and less regulatory burdens - as would be the real pro-choice position?) they want abortion to be legal everywhere. They are incapable of ignoring an insignificant dent in an inconspicious place in an otherwise perfectly functional piece of armor. They must fix said dent now. Even if it involves taking time out from slaying the dragon. Even if the dragon is five feet away and breathing massive amounts of fire on them. Even if they have the lance that could slay that dragon immediately.
And by now taking it to the Supreme Court, they are inviting themselves to overturn Roe v Wade. In case they didn't notice, that is exactly why this piece of legistlation was passed. South Dakota is looking to pick a fight. They could have ignored this very minor restriction in the change to the abortion laws and swept it under the rug. Instead, the abortion rights groups are taking the bait.
And like any salmon that takes the bait, the may find themselves roasting over an open fire soon. Even gay-rights groups backed off on pushing their agenda after the 2004 election - they know when it is time to rest a bit, and that not everything can go their way all the time.
You see, if Roe v Wade is overturned, as South Dakota is gambling on, then each state has to pass new abortion laws. Some will be very restrictive, some will be very liberal (undoing Roe will have no effect in Washington State as abortion was legalized here before Roe). And states like Texas will really restict abortion laws. As a result of the newly restrictive laws, the number of abortions will decrease rapidly - maybe by as much as a third. Which is much, much larger than a decrease in seven hundred abortion, maximum. This is what South Dakota is really aiming for.
Now you know the mindset of an ideologue. As Morton Blackwell said, don't make perfect the enemy of the good.
One postscript. While this appears that I am writing like a fear Roe being overturned, those who are readers to this blog will realize I am a conservative, and I am likely to be pro-life. Which I am. I want Roe to be overturned. I am just writing in this manner because I like to give political analysis, as I see it, even if it appears to take a position which I oppose.
posted by EricMatthew at 11:15 PM
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