When President Bush called Justice O'Connor to commend her work and affirm her resignation from the bench, he reportedly told her that he wished he could hug her. No surprise, as an O'Connor resignation was largely unexpected and greatly raises the potential for two Bush Supreme Court picks (Chief Justice Rheinquist is suffering from Thyroid cancer and many expect his resignation any day).
What this will mean for America is clear: Roe v. Wade is no longer safe. Bush has chipped away at this decision for years, from his policy against stem cell research to his ban on late-term abortions (there is no such medical procedure as partial-birth abortions, that's what we call "political spin"). He constantly advocates a "culture of life" - in other words, he wants abortion outlawed and will go to great lengths to see it happen.
I want to take a moment and imagine an America without legal abortions. Can you see it? When abortion was outlawed before Roe v. Wade, millions of unsafe, illegal abortions still took place in alley ways and parking lots. An entire black market emerged in which women paid steep prices to have the procedure done. Mortality rates of black market abortions can be expected to be significantly higher than those of clinical abortions. Stories of wire hangers and coca-cola douches fill countries where the procedure is outlawed. Is this the culture of life Bush so longs for?
Don't expect this battle to end here, either. We can expect the autonomy of women over their bodies to face more attacks. Moreover, O'Connor has proven to be the swing vote on a number of critical progressive issues. We can forget succesful battles on gay marriage, job discrimination, affirmative action, and many other important issues.
This is a time for reflection and for action. Think about raising a child in a country that does not value women as competent enough to make decisions about their own bodies. Think about living your own life! I, for one, intend to leave America if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Legal abortion is a fundamental cornerstone to any country that values women, and any country that does not value women is not a place I intend to call home.
Can you say "screwed"?