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To: Long Cut
If I'm not mistaken, California and New York had liberalized their abortion laws several years prior to Roe v. Wade. However, most states, especially those in the South and Midwest, had not done so in 1973. Were that ruling to be overturned by a future Supreme Court, as the Warren Court did to Plessy v. Ferguson in 1954, the pre-1973 State laws would once again be in effect. It would be extremely difficult for permissive abortion legislation to be passed by the legislatures, even in Democratic leaning states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (both of which have large Catholic populations and a substantial minority of evangelical Christians).

I do not see liberalized abortion happening in Texas, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, as it would cause the GOP majority in the Legislature to become hopelessly divided. Additionally, many Democrats are elected by predominantly Hispanic, and therefore heavily Catholic, districts. Outside of Austin and a few precincts of Dallas and Houston, white liberals, the most enthusiastic pro-aborts, are a relatively rare breed in Texas. Both parties would likely not touch the issue of liberalizing the pre-1973 abortion prohibition.

78 posted on 08/24/2004 6:48:52 AM PDT by Wallace T.
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To: Wallace T.
"Were that ruling to be overturned by a future Supreme Court, as the Warren Court did to Plessy v. Ferguson in 1954, the pre-1973 State laws would once again be in effect."

I'm notr so sure...the prior laws were wiped with the descision. They'd have to be passed again. That means that, instead of having to pass a permissive law, you'd have to pass a restrictive law, which is usually much harder. Don't forget, it is NOT 1973 any more...it has been thirty years now for many women. You can't reset to zero with these things.

As for your statements about Texas, most likely Texas would be one of those to "strike a balance...mandating parental notification, possibly banning PBA, but most certainly the rape, incest, health, life of the mother would also be preserved, if not first trimester abortion.

Once again, society has moved on quite a bit since 1973...it would be far more difficult than you think to move in the other direction.

Note also, in my scenarios, I have chosen not to mention RU-486 and other drugs. These pretty much change the entire game, if not totally finishing it.

My point is that, today, the genie is quite out of the bottle. It WILL NOT go back in without hearts and minds being individually changed.

89 posted on 08/24/2004 10:13:29 AM PDT by Long Cut (The Constitution...the NATOPS of America!)
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