It’s the far right thing to do

Historians have already noted that Donald Trump told the truth once in 2016 and I have noticed the country is suffering because of it. Trump, speaking out of one side of his mouth, said he would appoint justices to the Supreme Court who would rule to make abortion difficult, if not impossible, for those who needed and wanted one.

He did appoint and they have ruled. In a giant step backward, our controlling decision on abortion, Roe v. Wade, was destroyed as the law of the land as it had been for the past 50 years.

The present court and busybodies across the land treat abortion as something we should prevent whenever possible, despite the personal needs and choices of pregnant women. They don’t go quite as far as forbidding the root cause of pregnancy, but given another Trump term, they might. They talk piously about “the right to life” as if the abortion rights proponents are not concerned about life. In fact, we care about the right to a good, full, safe, life, measured by more than a heartbeat

The “no abortion” folks care about the fetus until it is born. Prenatal is the holy word from God. Postnatal is about balancing the budget. As children grow older, the “no abortion” folks would limit funds for their public education, deny them school lunches and make the “shrug” a national symbol of indifference to others’ needs.

Over 20 states have already passed laws that limit a woman’s right to choose whether she should have a baby. One state, Arizona, went back over 150 years, to when they were not yet a state, to justify making abortion impossible. They resurrected a Civil War-era approach to birth.

Today some pregnant women do decide, after serious thought, they need an abortion. Their own health, even life, may be jeopardized by pregnancy and delivery. Some are pregnant having been raped. Some already have more children than they can feed and nurture. Some are single. They don’t need a pseudo-Christian evangelicals to advise.

If someone decides to have an abortion, she should have a sterile, accessible place to have one. Before Roe v. Wade, we talked of “back alley” abortions where women were forced to sneak into unclean places after dark, then get back into a car for an immediate journey home. Worse, there were self-administered “coat hanger” abortions.

For 50 years, we had a guaranteed right of privacy and the right to define our own lives. The Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that the prohibition of abortion was unconstitutional and struck it down.

In 2022 in Iowa, 4,059 pregnancies were ended by abortion, about 80% medically induced. About 20% required surgery in sterile clinics by trained and skilled people. The Legislature and a sterile governor want that right destroyed. We are blessed that not all of our elected officials agree. State Sen. Janice Weiner reported that hearings presented “a clear and convincing argument” for upholding the Iowa Constitution, listening to the people of Iowa and striking down this dangerous law.

Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary.