South Dakota's abortion ban: Watching the extremist right in action

[MikeNY]

South Dakota's abortion ban: Watching the extremist right in action
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=3376

AP

South Dakota children celebrate their state's new law protecting rapists
"Family values"?

The Republican-controlled legislature of South Dakota's sweeping new law banning abortion in the conservative state also protects rapists' rights. Now, men who impregnate girls or women against their will - even fathers who rape their daughters - are almost guaranteed to become dads.

Foreign news media are tracking with interest the social and political implications of the radical right's campaign against abortion in the U.S. From today's breaking news reports:

» France's Le Monde notes that South Dakota's Republican governor, Mike Rounds, signed off on the new law just two days before the celebration of International Women's Day, which is today. (Separate Le Monde news article about the festivities here.) The French daily also notes that Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana plan to follow South Dakota's lead. The religious right's goal: to force the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling in the 1973 Roe vs. Wade case that legalized abortion in the U.S. The conservatives' big wish: that the court will overturn that historic decision.

Le Monde quotes Rounds, who said it "is possible" that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe, and who compared "his state's battle" against abortion "to that...of the 1950s against racial segregation."

» Britain's Independent points out that, under South Dakota's law, "octors and medical staff who provide an abortion face up to five years in prison," but also that it's likely that a judge might "suspend the new legislation before it comes into effect on July, thereby opening the way for the matter to be decided by the Supreme Court." That, of course, is the radical right's strategy for propelling the issue onto the high court's docket.

The British daily notes that, in the U.S., "

olls portray a complicated picture but clearly suggest that the decision in South Dakota is out of touch with the view of most Americans." It quotes a supporter of the new law who said: "We're ordering lobster and having a party. We are thrilled."

The paper also observes that both sides of the abortion debate in the U.S. believe the "legal tussle" over the issue "will take years to conclude." It cites the head of a Catholic, abortion-rights group who feels that, ultimately, the Supreme Court will not overturn Roe. The reason? Because the abortion issue has proven to be "such an effective rallying cry for right-wing Republicans."

» Britain's generally conservative Times reports that, if abortion foes do succeed in provoking a reconsideration of Roe vs. Wade, and if that decision is overturned, "women would still be able to cross state lines to have abortions in liberal preserves such as New York and California." The paper adds: "In practice, many women already do so to avoid legal obstacles and moral condemnation in Midwestern states." The Times quotes Steve Hildebrand, "a veteran Democrat strategist in South Dakota," who sees the state's strict new law as providing "an opportunity to 'fire up the pro-choice movement.'" Hildebrand said: "They've gone too far. They're essentially saying that if your daughter gets raped, she has no choice but to have that criminal's baby. It shows how extreme they are."

» Spain's respected daily, El País, dutifully lists the full names, years of birth, and starting years of service on the bench of each of the justices of the Supreme Court.

The Spanish paper notes that "of the nine judges, seven were appointed by conservative presidents." It adds that the current court is distinguished "by a majority of Catholics," members of "a religion that is practiced by a quarter of the population. Analyzed in terms of their decisions, five of the justices appear to be conservatives and four liberals. It's the first time in 20 years that the court has leaned to the right."

Posted By: Edward M. Gomez (Email) | March 08 2006 at 03:59 AM
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About The Author

Edward M. Gomez, a former U.S. diplomat and staff reporter at TIME, has lived and worked in the U.S. and overseas, and speaks several languages. He has written for The New York Times, the Japan Times and the International Herald Tribune.