Roe is Us

 I needed a day to process what I was going to say on this.

Yesterday, I was glad I never had daughters, but saddened for my brother, who has two, my nephew who has three, and all my other relatives and friends who have daughters and granddaughters. I will never face (unless one of my sons begets a girl) what each of them may now someday deal with--a loved child or grandchild who cannot get the medical care she needs.

I know how even the best birth control can fail. My first son was conceived while my wife was "on the pill". I know how complications can arise in even a well-cared-for pregnancy; my wife had to go on bed rest for the final trimester of her first pregnancy and underwent an emergency C-section when the doctors could not get an adequate response from the monitoring equipment during labor. (Fortunately, there was nothing really wrong--just my recalcitrant son lying in an odd position in the womb.)

No patient should have their legitimate options in such a situation curtailed by a legislature's or judge's view of when "life begins." That should only be between the parents (and primarily the mother), their doctor, and their religion (whichever one, if any, that may be). I am not, personally, in favor of "abortion-on-demand"...but that is my personal belief and it should not be imposed on anyone else, anymore than my personal belief that liver is unedible. (You like liver? Go for it--just don't expect me to join you. And if I decide an abortion is the right choice for my situation, I won't ask you to participate.)

One last thing--pay heed to Justice Thomas's dissent, in which he suggests that other rulings (such as the ones in favor of contraception, criminalization of gay sex and gay marriage) based on much the same interpretation should be re-examined. (I note he does not include the long-standing decision on inter-racial marriage--also based on that interpretation. Perhaps it strikes too close to home?)