The Idea Of Leaving Abortion Rights "Up to the States". . . [View all]

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. . . Isn't just gas lighting bullshit, it's the antitheist of the American identity.

It's one thing for a state to decide that undercoating has to be included in the features of a newly sold car in, say, Michigan, while California might pass a law requiring dealerships to let buyers opt out of that feature. Those states have different climates that impact people's lives and material goods in specific ways. Similarly, building codes and fireworks availability can vary from state-to-state because of differences in not only climate and terrain but also ease of access to public services like fire departments and the like.

There are times and circumstances when states should have the final say in the laws that serve their distinct populations. But not when it comes to the central rights afforded to the people. We already went through the insanity of thinking that human beings could be owned as property in some states across this country but not in others. We endured the stupidity of allowing some states to pretend that two people of the same sex could have a legal wedding somewhere else in the country but somehow not be married while in their particular state.

The notion that one state can not only ban abortions but somehow tell a person that they can't travel to another state to have a medical procedure that is legal in that other state is beyond ridiculous. Do Texas and Oklahoma et al OWN the women who live within their borders? Are they somehow allowed to tell people where and when they can move? Are they going to require pregnancy tests for breeding age women heading over the state line for job interviews?

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--which includes bodily autonomy--are the absolute bedrock of our founding principles as a nation. No state legislature can interfere with these rights and have any claim to be true to American principles. This is not a free country if people can have rights that disappear when traveling from one state to another.