'Jane Roe' Arrested at Supreme Court Hearing

[rvablue]

Source: Washington Post

The woman at the center of the Supreme Court's landmark abortion rights ruling was arrested today at the confirmation hearing for Sonia Sotomayor among a wave of anti-abortion protesters who lined the sidewalks outside the Senate office buildings and several of whom made it into the hearing room and disrupted in an attempt to disrupt the proceedings.

Norma McCorvey, 61, of Texas, better known as "Jane Roe" in the famous Roe v. Wade case from January 1973, was arrested after she and another protester started yelling during the opening statement of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), according to Capitol Police. McCorvey, whose pursuit of the right to access to abortion in the early 1970s led to the ruling that has been a pivotal part of every Supreme Court nomination process since, eventually become a leading opponent of the procedure.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider of the Capitol Police said McCorvey and Francis Mahoney, 68, of Florida were charged with unlawful conduct for disrupting Congress, the third and fourth such arrests the police made during the more than five-hour proceedings. McCorvey was part of the group of protesters outside the Hart Senate Office Building throughout the day, a gathering led by Randall Terry, the former head of Operation Rescue, an organization dedicated to ending abortion.

The last two rows of the hearing room were reserved for about 50 members of the public, who rotate into the hearings for short intervals and then must be escorted out to allow other citizens to view the historic proceedings. McCorvey and Mahoney were part of a group being escorted out as Franken was praising the service of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), a staunch supporter of the Roe decision. Kennedy left the Judiciary Committee earlier this year, making this the first Supreme Court confirmation fight without his presence since 1965.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071302345.html?hpid=topnews

[LeftishBrit]

1. How bizarre.

[sasquatch]

2. Typical dumbass redneck

Sorry southerner DUers thay you have to live with these people.

[Oregone]

5. I don't think Roe is your typical "redneck"

Seems like a woman with an identity crisis that wants to try her hand at all sorts of different lifestyles, from being a lesbian to being a fundie

[Name removed]

10. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[musette_sf]

32. seems like she is mentally ill

i have compassion for her as someone who suffers from mental illness.

but i also don't want mentally ill people supporting legislation based on their unmedicated world views.

[kestrel91316]

34. I've met Norma. On her best day, she's still white trash/redneck.

I always thought she made a rather iffy poster child for the (pro-choice) cause back in the day.

[mac56]

39. me too

and I agree

[Bluenorthwest]

44. Well you met her and sat there thinking 'white trash' a very racist thing

and vulgar as well. And you think she was happy to meet people thinking that? Racist terminology. Tell me, kestrel91916, what term do you use to describe similar trash people who are not white? Is there a pet name you have for such people? Is it a different one for each ethnic type of 'trash'?

[superconnected]

50. White trash - though not a nice term, is only a term.

The people I run into who dislike it the most seem to have a lot vested in being "white".

Do you go after all racial slurs or is that the one that really gets you?

[Tanuki]

52. I beg to differ. I am originally from West Virginia, and I have been on the receiving end of this

"only a term" for no other reason than my family's geographical origin. I don't think that being Appalachian makes me trash, and I don't appreciate the suggestion that being offended by a gratuitous insult means I "have a lot vested in being white." I suggest that you rethink this.

[Bluenorthwest]

57. Your implication is most vile and based on nothing at all.

The term is not 'just a term'. It is a race based, classist label originated against poor people by rich fellow whites to mock them as lesser. Feel free to use it if you are comfortable with it. It is not my style to assign labels to people based on the color of their skin or their economic status. It is a term that wounded my mother in her childhood, so I am not fond of it. You are of course free to use whatever language you wish, knowing that others might judge it differently than you do. It is a risk worth taking for such a great phrase, I'm sure!

[chascarrillo]

64. Tom Tancredo, is that you?

[atreides1]

51. You assume a bit much yourself

How do you know what kestrel91916 was thinking before meeting this lady? Maybe the impression kestrel91916 got was after seeing and listening to what she might have said.

Before you start attacking maybe you could ask?

[kestrel91316]

67. Well, I am white so I reserve the right to call white trash as I see it.

I have been known to refer to LA's black gangs and criminals as "black trash". Does that upset you? And Hispanic trash gets referred to as "Hispanic trash". Same for the local "Persian trash", who are unique in being rather wealthy, but still engaging in trashy behavior. Generally some pretty egregious or ignorant behavior is required to inflame me into using those terms, BTW.

I love the First Amendment, don't you?

[sasquatch]

48. I guess you're bigoted too

:eyes:

[MellowDem]

59. Yep, just like you...

They always out themselves.

[kestrel91316]

68. Yep. Extraordinarily bigoted against ANY trashy behavior, regardless

of the source.

[MellowDem]

58. There just was a hue and cry

about Freepers calling Malia Obama "ghetto trash".

So is ghetto trash wrong to use, but white trash A-OK?

You do progressives everywhere a disservice.

[kestrel91316]

69. Malia isn't from a ghetto AND doesn't engage in trashy behavior,

so calling her that is just LOW.

If a white person engages in trashy behavior, I call it as I see it. BTW, I'm white.

[MellowDem]

71. So what?

What if Malia did engage in trashy behavior and was from the ghetto? The whole point of bigoted terms is that they stigmatize a group. Ghetto trash usually means urban, poor, and black. White trash usually means rural, poor, and of course white. Both these groups have been steryotyped and stigmatized and both of these terms have incredibly negative connotations.

Do you really think a progressive should use such terms? Don't you think it might be a wee bit hypocritical to criticize such language on the one hand and then use it ourselves on the other?

[mamaleah]

6. I pity them as much as I pity the

poor folks in places like Philly that have to live with racist rednecks too.

Yeah sorry to burst your bubble, the South does not have the market on morons.

[sasquatch]

9. No they don't, they just dominate the market.

[mamaleah]

13. Or perhaps those living in the more "enlightened" areas

are a bit more stealth about it.

[sasquatch]

17. Well racism here is like anti-semitism in europe

The South is like our Germany.

[AlbertCat]

28. The South is like our Germany.

Jesus!

Yeah they love Jews everywhere but Germany! The Swiss and the Dutch just LOVE 'EM! So do Austrians and Russians! Not to mention Italy where the term "Ghetto" comes from... from when they made Jews live in designated areas...ghettos.

This localizing of bigotry that you do based on some stereotype you read about is akin to racism, y'know.

[AlbertCat]

21. they just dominate the market.

No they don't. Go West, young man.....

Again I remind you...

Red states not in the South (using 2008 election results)
ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, NE, UT, AZ, KS, OK, MO, WV, AK.... a grand total of 13 states (not in the confederacy)

And red states down South
TX (not really a southern state....cowboys & Longhorns are not a Southern thing y'know. That's the West. But...)LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, TN, KY.... totaling 8

The West is most definitely the new seat of dumb ass rednecks. No doubt about it. Yes it USED to be the South, but not any more.

[Blandocyte]

36. Prejudice is prejudging

and you say you have a preponderance of evidence about Southerners. That's what all the righwing bigots say when they are making prejudiced remarks about their vicitms, too. We could all do without it. Please just fukkin stop it.

[sasquatch]

49. Actually I'm making a judgement call based on the information at hand and observations

[AlbertCat]

60. Actually I'm making a judgement call based on the information at hand and observations

and your obvious hatred of the South.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

3. Shouldn't these wingnuts protest "Jane Roe" instead?

She kind of set the ball in motion here.

[crikkett]

43. Naw. She's repentant. n/t

[high density]

4. Rotating public...

I was wondering why so many people were filing out while Sen. Franken was speaking.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Here's a photo of Norma McCorvey being baptised by an anti-choice preacher:

http://www.operationsaveamerica.org.nyud.net:8090/misc/misc/images/flipnorm.jpg
Her new adopted organization's website:
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/misc/misc/aboutUs.html

[mamaleah]

8. So she turned on the people who helped her

When did she convert to the anti-choice camp? Was it recent or in the 80s?

[Oregone]

12. Wiki says 1994 at book signing.

They probably discussed market potential. She was probably not making a killing of the liberal crowd, so a conversion made her a viable author for the idiots

[mamaleah]

15. She seems to be a tad confused.

And I think she only reversed the rape charge because it would play better to the anti-choicers.

[Bluenorthwest]

45. Read the comments about her on this thread

and tell me again who turned on who. She's trash, white trash, a red neck. On her best day, she's trash. This from people who say they met her for the cause.
No wonder Norma crossed over. No wonder. Who'd want to spend time with people who were lined up to meet you, but thinking 'she's white trash'? Would you?

[ima_sinnic]

11. Jane Roe is a fucking asshole, to put it bluntly

I hate fucking self-righteous asshole hypocrites with every fiber of my being.
The asshole gained the right to an abortion, which presumably she desperately wanted enough to go all the way to the Supreme Court, and now she wants to deny that right to others.
May she have a pain-filled life and be eternally unhappy. What a fucking moron and shithead :grr:

[rvablue]

14. Yeah, it reeks of hypocrisy. But geesh....the tone and language of your comment is over the top. n

[Deadric Damodred]

25. Sooner or later the Republicans are going to pick up...

...on the message that is being sent out. We constantly call Republicans hypocrites because they are constantly doing things that go against their moral values party line. However, we tend to forget that people are human and we try to make it so that if someone runs on moral values, that they must be as perfect as Jesus Christ. And yet, when a Democrat screws up, like cheats on his wife, nobody says anything because moral values are not in our party line. Sooner or later the GOP is going to figure that out, and while still going after gay and abortion, they'll take all mention of moral values or traditional values out of their party lines and speeches, that way they'll have the same "lisence to do what ever they hell you want" card that the Democrats have. After all, if you don't run on moral values, you can be as immoral as you want to be and nobody can say shit... and that's the exact message we're putting out everytime we call them a hypocrite when they screw up and everytime we ignore it when one of ours screw up.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GinaMaria]

66. It's not just about a platform of family values

it's about legislating 'family values'. IOW, creating laws, policies, etc that condemn certain behaviors while engaging in the behaviors you are busy trying to prevent others from doing. It seems to be a sickness. Instead of deciding what can or cannot go on in my bedroom, they need to only be concerned about what's going on in theirs. If you get on your high horse and condemn Clinton for an affair, you better make sure you haven't had one. You always have the option to keep your mouth shut. Sometimes it's best not to say anything.

[twitomy]

19. Actually, McCorvey never had the abortion..

because the court case took too long. She gave her up for adoption...so technically not a "hypocrite" due to the circumstance..

BTW she is now Catholic...

[mitchum]

37. +1 (She is a mentally ill opportunist)

[Posteritatis]

54. Where are you getting the 'mentally ill' bit?

Or is that just the standard DU "mental illness is intrinsically Republican" meme?

[mitchum]

55. True..."emotionally unstable" would be more accurate...

and there is no doubt about the "opportunist" part

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. The anti-choice forces are just going to have to get over it

We worked harder, and we got our guy in. If he gets two court picks, then women will have the right to choose more or less guaranteed for the next two generations, and their movement will wither. They're going to fight like hell now, but they've already lost. Everyone has moved on. They may get a revival in 30 years or so, but it's unlikely. Capitalism needs dual income households to survive, and that trumps everything.

[twitomy]

20. Sotomayor is Catholic..

I wouldnt take her being pro-choice as a given.

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. Please

Don't be silly.

[rvablue]

30. There are many, many pro-choice Catholics. Kennedy and Kerry to name a few.

Some people believe in the separation of church and state and practice the concept of not having to impose their own personal religous beliefs on others.

[cali]

41. uh, so is Pat Leahy.

[onehandle]

63. Educated Catholics are overwhelmingly pro-choice.

I would say that she is pretty educated.

[Downtown Hound]

18. Sorry Jane, but if you want to outlaw abortion now

Then I fully expect you to be willing to serve prison time for the "murder" of your unborn child. There's no statute of limitations on murder, so why should you get a free pass when you are willing to condemn other women to either jail or possible death from illegal abortions?

[Seeking Serenity]

23. "Jane Roe" never had the abortion.

So no "murder" charge would be forthcoming.

[MichaelHarris]

22. you mean

Jane "I had mine, didn't like it so you can't have one" Roe?

[mamaleah]

26. I thought that too, but she never had the chance to.

Her case began in 1970. The final decision came in 73. She did give birth, but she still could be called "Jane-I-Wanted-Mine-But-You-Can't-Roe.

[AlbertCat]

24. Wouldn't you love....

to get a huge group of women to go to her next public appearance and one by one go up to her and thank her for making it possible that they have a choice?

Shaking her hand..."Thank you, thank you so much for giving me a choice!"


Let her stew in her Catholic Guilt!

[rvablue]

31. Can one experience "Catholic guilt" without being Catholic.....because

as evidenced upthread, it doesn't appear that she is.

[AlbertCat]

33. as evidenced upthread, it doesn't appear that she is.

really?

From post # 19:


"BTW she is now Catholic..."

[rvablue]

38. Yeah, really.

Look at comment #7.

Pictures speak a thousand words.

And maybe it's just me, but I don't think Catholic priests are in the habit of baptizing people in swimming pools. :shrug:

[twitomy]

61. Try not to strain yourself in following this logic...

She initially was a fundie (hence that picture) but eventually became catholic...

[ellie]

35. These people need to get it through their thick skulls:

ABORTION WILL NEVER GO AWAY. NEVER. No matter how many dead fetuses they display or how crazy they get. IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY. They need to sit down and shut the fuck up.

[justiceischeap]

40. "Lake of Fire" Abortion movement documentary that 'Jane Roe' is in

She explains in the documentary that she started having second thoughts on abortions because of the late term abortion issue. She was working in a clinic, assisting women to get abortions when she started having second thoughts. Then the dude in the picture baptizing her, his name is Flip if I recall, moved in next to her and her roommate. He then approached her and told her he hoped she was happy being responsible for the deaths of millions of babies.

As far as her "abortion" goes, again, according to her in this documentary, she was approached by the two lawyers that fought the case. It wasn't like she set-out to get an abortion and then hooked up with some lawyers to fight, she took the opportunity and in my opinion, did it because she was a fame-seeking individual, which is why she is now in the anti-choice camp...she's getting much more attention there than she was in the pro-choice camp.

Anyway, Lake of Fire... if you are at all interested in what the extreme right is doing on this front, you should rent it.

[Tanuki]

42. The NY Times ran this piece on McCorvey's defection to the anti-choice camp several years ago.

She evidently felt snubbed and pushed to the side by pro-choice advocates, while the Operation Rescue folks actively courted her and made her feel welcome. She seems to be someone who is easily manipulated and she has had a difficult life with some tough breaks early on. Anyway, the article is interesting:
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/12/us/new-twist-for-a-landmark-case-roe-v-wade-becomes-roe-v-roe.html?pagewanted=2

[KamaAina]

46. I can believe it. I met her shortly before she flipped out.

There was a big rally at the Louisiana state capitol. Afterwards, there we were, just the two of us, outside on the steps. No one else was even around her, let alone asking for her autograph or anything. A few years after that, the anti's put the bite on her. :(

the Operation Rescue folks actively courted her and made her feel welcome.

That's pretty much their M.O. with everyone. In fact, that's pretty much every cult's M.O. :eyes:

[JHB]

53. I'd read that back then. That was my impression too...

The lawyers (Weddington and Coffee) were catapulted to prominence while she was left with the continuing hardships of being poor, not-highly-educated single woman in the 70's: crap jobs, trouble making ends meet, and plenty of sexism.

Maybe Weddington and Coffee did expoit her, maybe McCorvey came to feel that they did because she wasn't seeing any benefit from having been "Jane Roe". Certainly she felt snubbed.

So on the one hand you have someone discontented an possibly easily manipulated. On the other hand you have... Fundies leaping into that other hand because they recognize a PR coup when they see one. (Look to Bill Murray, Madeline Murray O'Hair's son for another example of Fundy counting-coup-conversion.)

[mitchum]

47. Emotionally unstable OPPORTUNIST

[MetaTrope]

56. I guess I've missed all the major news coverage of veterans being arrested at peace protests

Typical MSM pandering to the crackpot minority.

[zbdent]

62. she must have discovered that "doing the right thing" wasn't paying the bucks that

selling your soul draws ...

[hayu_lol]

65. Strange that Randall Terry is still walking...

around free so that he can organize scenes like this. Sort of surprised that Fred Phelps wasn't there as well.

[EFerrari]

70. No kidding. I wonder how much she got for this gig. n/t