Gail's Blog

No Surprises Here

Or, at least, we shouldn’t be surprised. This recent overturning of Roe vs Wade is just an official stamp of the leaked decision we knew was coming. It has been in the works for 50 years and has finally been adopted. It just took the election of Donald Trump and his promise to put on the Supreme Court individuals who would end abortion rights. These three people basically had no problem lying during their confirmation hearings. The sins of omission.

It is also interesting to note that of the six conservative judges, all Catholic, five had attended Catholic schools. They had no problem shooting down Maine’s law that limited financial aid to religious schools. This is truly the Swiss cheese effect where little by little the separation of church and state, an extremely important constitutional right of the citizens is eroded by this ultra conservative court. The founders of our country knew the dangers in Europe of the lack of separation of church and state and tried to guarantee this right by putting it into the constitution.

This means there will be more and more cases brought before the court to use taxpayer money for all kinds of religious undertakings. We have so many possibilities. The precedent has now been set. It is extremely dangerous. A few years ago US taxpayer money was used to pave a religious school playground. Now they have blown the door wide open in Maine by having US taxpayers pay for a religious high school when it is the only high school in the area. If you have the time you might want to read up about this case. Maine even gave vouchers to help bus these students to public and charter schools but two parents took it court and won. Never mind that the school is quite discriminatory and refuses to admit students or teachers who are transgender or that the church is across the parking lot. “In its clearest statement to date, the court said that if a state uses taxpayer money to pay for students attending nonreligious private schools, it must also use taxpayer funds to pay for attendance at religious schools.” For all practical purposes, the decision thus invalidates provisions in 37 state constitutions that ban the direct or indirect use of taxpayer money in religious schools.

This is similar to the Chinese torture death by a thousand cuts. In the recent Supreme Court shooting down New York City’s ban on concealed weapons, they declared unconstitutional a law that had been on the books since 1911.

It will not stop. Already the conservative litigators have initiated cases to provide the court with cases that will overrule Obergefell v Hodges. This is the marriage equality ruling that upheld the constitutional right for gay and lesbians to marry. A majority of the justices disagree with this ruling so stand by on this one too.

Americans assumed too much over these years. The fight was always on regarding abortion rights but while that took front and center headlines, the other wars are going on behind the scenes. The current justices are unconstrained by precedence so stop being naïve about your rights. They have unrestrained power and will use it.

In the meantime, the abortion ruling will create continual chaos across America. We will have 26 states where abortion will be banned. Missouri has introduced a bill where it would be a crime for a woman to cross state lines to have an abortion. You know these states will do their best to outlaw medical abortion through the use of pills, outlaw contraception and punish those who try to help. We will be imprisoning women, doctors, assistants etc. There will be many arrests, court battles etc. It will go on for years. Women trying to make arrangements for out of state abortions have their phones tapped and their movements tracked. Already these birthing buses will increase in numbers as they go around and promote pregnancies and provide information and lots of misinformation to pregnant women. Nevermind, that none of these states outlawing abortion provides funds to support the pregnant mother, the child, childcare etc. They don’t care that much. Remember, most of your state and federal legislative bodies are run by men.

If you care for your rights, not just abortion rights, you will get involved in the political process. Particularly at the state and local levels. Counties and states will be administering these laws so you could see one county be more lenient or more punitive than another county. Another sidebar to this situation is the death in medical schools in these states of the teaching on how to perform an abortion. Texas medical schools are cutting out or limiting this in the curriculum and Utah is in the same process as I write this. “Campbell and other abortion providers are racing to train the next wave of specialists in the field as the days tick toward a Supreme Court decision that could imperil the legal foundation of their practice and lead to upheaval across the country for education and training in reproductive health.” The Washington Post Headline Washinton Post, June 20, 2022, “A race to teach abortion procedures, before the bans begin–The end of Roe v. Wade would disrupt abortion training for doctors

For those of you living in red states and who care about Constitutional rights, please get involved. Remember the World War 11 quote by Pastor Martin Niemoller, entitled “First they came”

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

None of us should think that our city, county, state and Federal representatives will do what is best for us. We must question, not assume and vote. Learn who these people are and the money behind them. We will get what we deserve and if you did not vote, investigate your candidate or the referendum before you, your freedoms will be eroded and corruption will continue to invade our politics. Currently, Americans only have a 25% confidence in the Supreme Court. These are just appointed people, never chosen by the people and have lifetime terms. What is wrong with this picture?

I speak in my audio and zoom program of the 4 dangers to our democracy and one of these was the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, the largest group of our population who will be affected by overturning Roe will be the poor. Two thirds of the current abortion population are with black and brown people. These are the poor and those who can’t leave the state for an abortion or they don’t even own a car, have money to take time off of work, nor the monies to pay for the abortion. A great crime has again been done to the poor of our country. Most of these women already have families and can’t afford to have additional children, can’t get good prenatal or post-natal care and can’t physically survive another pregnancy.

To blissfully say to these women by the anti-abortion groups that we will pay for your diapers, and some baby supplies is an insult. Some recommend they carry the baby and put it up for adoption. How out-of-touch is that? I know because I was in the position many years ago. No birth control available and all abortions illegal. It is a hell of a position to find oneself in.

Pay attention now to the gerrymandering that is going on in your states. This should not be done by either party but should be done by a neutral commission chosen by the people. Work on this for your state. Gerrymandering lasts 10 years until the next census in 2030. This keeps crazy legislative reps in power even if they are absurd in their behavior.

Never assume and don’t be surprised. More is coming down the road. Pay attention to what is going on in your own state, county, city.


8 responses to “No Surprises Here”

  1. Puma Flores says:

    On the other side of this – is the fact that we as a religious group do not want the government in our church schools nor our churches.
    We like to keep our right to worship and conduct our church schools according to our concepts of how to raise responsible and productive adults without having to answer to the state because they have contributed $ to our church schools.
    We are Seventh Day Adventist Church, with the largest church education system in the world – this includes Loma Linda University and Loma Linda International Heart Institute.
    I Sam praying that church & state are kept separate!!!

  2. Gail Minogue says:

    There is more to come from this. I will write again on this subject. Many thanks.

  3. Gail Minogue says:

    See my reply below to Judith Moore

  4. Gail Minogue says:

    Glad to hear it. After the peaceful protests are done, it is time to turn to really serious business of standing up to these tyrants who are diminishing our democracy and eating away at all of our rights. This needs to turn to real action in each and every state legislature. Why are we allowing this to happen? There is no neutrality here. Every right we have ever gained throughout history has either been won through strategic thinking and action and finally the fight. Freedoms have been won through long term vision and never letting the eyes come off the ball. If we want these religious decisions, gun decisions and now women’s rights, reversed and protected. We must stand up to power and consistently be willing to fight for them. Life will not go on as it was for some time. Peaceful protest at this stage of the loss of power is not enough. It just makes you feel better. Roll up the sleeves, unite, share information and join others in other states who are fighting off this oppressive minority.

  5. Christina says:

    It is outrageous that any birth control will not be allowed? How is that I can get birth control from my doctor but other women can’t? I don’t understand this? I mean this is out of control and sadly we’re going to have more children on the system or in DCF/Foster care. We need to provide more education to women about taking care of their bodies and give all women birth control. It’s a sick cycle.

  6. Elaine Sonne says:

    Thank you Gail. I just shared.

  7. Judith Moore says:

    I attended a peaceful SCOTUS protest ralley last night 6-830 in Reno NV, very well attended by a few thousand – Great Grand Parents, Grandparents, Sons & Daughters with their children, college aged friends with their significant others, very powerful.

  8. Sherry Dixon says:

    Thank you so much for your knowledge and guidance. It is more important than ever to be educated and know what action to take.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.