Is Roe finally gonna go? As the principal sponsor of the Ban on Partial Birth Abortion Act, probably the most significant pro-life legislation to become law since Roe v Wade, I certainly hope so. But it’s not at all clear.
Monday night President Trump selected Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. I think this was an excellent pick, as Judge Kavanaugh is eminently qualified and will be a superb addition to the Supreme Court. (I hope President Trump picks Amy Coney Barrett next time there’s an opening.) Of course even though Judge Kavanaugh is highly qualified for the job, The Left will do everything within its power to tear him down. It will be ugly.
But back to the title of this week’s blog: Is Roe Finally Gonna Go? It will take the right case. It’s quite possible that there could first be cases that will allow more protections for the unborn (pro-choicers would describe it as restrictions on women), that move the abortion issue in a more pro-life direction. Or perhaps, just perhaps, there will be a case that takes the issue on, head-on. In that case, I must admit that I have concerns that Chief Justice John Roberts might be up for grabs. I wouldn’t have thought that until his disappointing decision to uphold Obamacare on the flimsy grounds that it was a tax, even though the Obama Administration had sworn that it wasn’t. I think since his name is on the Court, he has great concern that big reversals, as declaring Obamacare unconstitutional would have been, or overturning Roe would be, would make the Court appear too political, not above the fray. At least that’s how the New York Times, the Washington Post, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, etc would play it, and I think that scares him.
That being said, if the Court does overturn Roe, the issue goes back to the states to decide what happens relative to abortion. Rather than nine unelected judges deciding such an important issue, with nearly no input from 300 million plus Americans, the state legislatures, where the American people have a great deal of input, would decide. In my view, that was one of the tragedies of Roe – the people were left out of the decision. (Of course the greater tragedy is the fact that over 50 million Americans are not with us today because of that regrettable court case.)
Close to home, it’s become pretty clear that the issue of Life will be one of the key issues in the race for the First Congressional District of Ohio. On the one hand, like on virtually every other issue, people know exactly where I stand. I’m pro-life. Always have been. Always will be. I’m for protecting innocent unborn life. I don’t think any person’s tax dollars should go to pay for another person’s abortion. And I don’t think our tax dollars should go to an organization that’s responsible for wiping out the population of the city of Cincinnati, every year – Planned Parenthood.
My opponent this time around, Aftab Pureval, is probably the most extreme pro-abortion candidate I’ve ever faced. He’s not from the Cranley/Luken/Driehaus wing of the party on Life – he’s pro-abortion pro-abortion. He called Cecil Richards, President of Planned Parenthood at the time, his “personal hero.” And he’s proudly accepted the maximum contribution allowed under the law, $2,700, from none other than Martin Haskell, the abortionist who popularized the ghastly practice of partial birth abortion. Shame on Haskell for snuffing out the lives of all those innocent little ones, and shame on Mr. Pureval for accepting that blood money.
And when the announcement came Monday evening that President Trump had picked Brett Kavanaugh to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, Aftab Pureval didn’t waste a minute sending out an email announcing that “I oppose Brett Kavanaugh for SCOTUS.” He also made clear that he opposed “a conservative majority on the Court…” (Of course he would, since he’s a far left liberal.) And as always, he saw this as a way to raise money. (It’s one thing he is really good at.)
So the battle begins. Expect The Left to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Judge Kavanaugh (and at me), fair or unfair. Fortunately, I expect both Judge Kavanaugh and I will still be standing when The Left has thrown everything they’ve got at us.
p.s. I was reading the Wall Street Journal yesterday on my flight from Cincinnati back to Washington, and there was a great column by Walter Russell Mead that gives some great insight on President Trump’s foreign policy. It’s worth reading, and you can click on it here.