Roe v Wade is on deck

[ZiprHead]

Nebraska mom pleads guilty to giving daughter pills for an abortion and helping bury the fetus

MADISON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mother has pleaded guilty to giving her 17-year-old daughter pills for an illegal abortion last spring and helping to burn and conceal the fetus. Under a plea agreem…

wgntv.com

 

[Toni]

Nebraska mom pleads guilty to giving daughter pills for an abortion and helping bury the fetus

MADISON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mother has pleaded guilty to giving her 17-year-old daughter pills for an illegal abortion last spring and helping to burn and conceal the fetus. Under a plea agreem…

wgntv.com

Here’s a more detailed account:

Nebraska Mom Pleads Guilty to Giving Abortion Pills to Her Teen Daughter

Jessica Burgess faced eight years in prison for helping her then 17-year-old get abortion pills. A plea deal brought it down to two.

jezebel.com

A few side issues to note: Evidence was gained through cooperation with Meta ( Facebook) who provided messages between mother and daughter.

Also, a 21 year old man was given probation in the case.

 

[Copernicus]

Women in crisis forced to make desperate choices in a state that criminalizes abortions. Putting the mother in jail for two years is sure to prevent her from terrorizing the public.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Nebraska mom pleads guilty to giving daughter pills for an abortion and helping bury the fetus

MADISON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mother has pleaded guilty to giving her 17-year-old daughter pills for an illegal abortion last spring and helping to burn and conceal the fetus. Under a plea agreem…

wgntv.com

Here’s a more detailed account:

Nebraska Mom Pleads Guilty to Giving Abortion Pills to Her Teen Daughter

Jessica Burgess faced eight years in prison for helping her then 17-year-old get abortion pills. A plea deal brought it down to two.

jezebel.com

A few side issues to note: Evidence was gained through cooperation with Meta ( Facebook) who provided messages between mother and daughter.

Yeah, this is when people remember Zuckerberg isn't some hero. It is after 20 weeks, but with bans in place, the psychological issues of enduring a pregnancy and the fetus maturing, that can't be easily predictable and it will likely vary from female to female who is demanded to endure it by the state.

Talk about compelled speech!

 

[Toni]

Nebraska mom pleads guilty to giving daughter pills for an abortion and helping bury the fetus

MADISON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mother has pleaded guilty to giving her 17-year-old daughter pills for an illegal abortion last spring and helping to burn and conceal the fetus. Under a plea agreem…

wgntv.com

Here’s a more detailed account:

Nebraska Mom Pleads Guilty to Giving Abortion Pills to Her Teen Daughter

Jessica Burgess faced eight years in prison for helping her then 17-year-old get abortion pills. A plea deal brought it down to two.

jezebel.com

A few side issues to note: Evidence was gained through cooperation with Meta ( Facebook) who provided messages between mother and daughter.

Yeah, this is when people remember Zuckerberg isn't some hero. It is after 20 weeks, but with bans in place, the psychological issues of enduring a pregnancy and the fetus maturing, that can't be easily predictable and it will likely vary from female to female who is demanded to endure it by the state.

Talk about compelled speech!

It isn't always easy to determine when a pregnancy started/how far along a pregnancy is unless you have an ultrasound. Among the complicating issues is if the woman has an irregular menstrual cycle and also some women have bleeding that is mistaken for menstruation.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Women in crisis forced to make desperate choices in a state that criminalizes abortions. Putting the mother in jail for two years is sure to prevent her from terrorizing the public.

It's about deterrence.

 

[Copernicus]

Women in crisis forced to make desperate choices in a state that criminalizes abortions. Putting the mother in jail for two years is sure to prevent her from terrorizing the public.

It's about deterrence.

Of course. That's true of all criminal penalties. Violent criminals need to be incarcerated, because they pose an actual danger to the public. This woman isn't a violent criminal. Women in that state must face the consequences of choosing to exercise control over unwanted pregnancies, so the cruelty of imprisonment is rather the point. I suspect that she would still have gone ahead with the abortion pills even at the risk of going to jail for it, because this was about her daughter's future. People will risk prison to help their children.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So Ohio has a special election in early August this year, to try and screw over Ohioans by amending the Constitution to keep abortion from having a shot at being protected by the voters. Luckily I remembered we were out of the country on that day, and we are getting our early votes in, me today, as well as my Mom who can't get to a voting place herself, and she suspiciously didn't get an absentee ballot in the mail this time around.

Ohio is (was?) real easy to amend the Constitution, 50% +1 vote. The GOP wants to make it 60% vote and other difficulties. Of course, passage of this amendment only needs 50% +1 vote to become law. Typically amendments to the Ohio Constitution like legalized weed* or a gay marriage ban are additions. This one actually amends the Constitution.

But let's get to the good part. They also want to make the initiative signed by 5% of the voting public in each county. That is insane, and a great trap to keep future Amendments off the ballot, requiring heavily conservative (and empty) counties to require the same standard as counties where people actually live! The language is also confusing and the advertising, as expected. Before getting to the county election board my Mom thought she needed to vote yes, I explained to her what that meant... and she quickly swapped to no.

And note, I mentioned this is a "special election", it is the only thing on the ballot! And it could have waited to battle the abortion rights amendment in November, but this is Ohio, a mini-Florida GOP governance wise. Out Governor isn't crazy (but very conservative), and the Legislature sure the heck is out of their minds.

 

[Toni]

Women in crisis forced to make desperate choices in a state that criminalizes abortions. Putting the mother in jail for two years is sure to prevent her from terrorizing the public.

It's about deterrence.

I was going to argue with you but you are right. It’s about deterrence through fear. And about controlling women.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Women in crisis forced to make desperate choices in a state that criminalizes abortions. Putting the mother in jail for two years is sure to prevent her from terrorizing the public.

It's about deterrence.

I was going to argue with you but you are right. It’s about deterrence through fear. And about controlling women.

Yeah, if they don't put her in jail, why should anyone obey the authoritarian law?

Can't compel a baker to expression, but can compel a woman to give birth.

 

[ZiprHead]

Abortion in Iowa is legal again for the moment after a judge blocks new restrictions

The judge's decision on Monday means abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy while the courts assess the new law's constitutionality.

www.pbs.org

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa judge on Monday temporarily blocked the state’s new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, just days after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law.

That means abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy while the courts assess the new law’s constitutionality.

The new law prohibits almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant.

The Republican-controlled Legislature approved the measure in a rare, all-day special session last week, prompting a legal challenge by the ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic. Judge Joseph Seidlin held a hearing on the matter Friday, but said he would take the issue under advisement — just as Reynolds signed the bill into law about a mile away.

Seidlin specified that his ruling today hinges on the “undue burden” test, which is an intermediate level of scrutiny that requires laws do not create a significant obstacle to abortion.

The state Supreme Court, in its latest rulings on the issue, said that undue burden remains in effect “with an invitation to litigate the issue further,” Seidlin wrote. “This, perhaps, is the litigation that accepts the invitation.”

Using that standard, abortion advocates are likely right to say the new law violates Iowans’ constitutional rights, Seidlin said, which led him to grant the temporary block.

 

[Rhea]

Just sayin’….

Iowa has self-defense laws that allow citizens to use deadly force to defend themselves or others if they perceive an imminent threat.


"The standard you have to prove is that you are under threat to either yourself or others," Tindal said. "You are allowed to protect yourself by using a reasonable amount of force to respond to that threat."

In 2017, Iowa lawmakers passed the 'Stand Your Ground Law," which Tindal said led to an increasing number of people claiming self-defense.

Being pregnant is much more dangerous than not being pregnant. And it is constantly imminent.

”Officer, I was scared for my life. I told my doctor I was scared for my life, and she used the force necessary to respond to that threat.”

 

[robnisch]

Tennessee A.G. uses private medical records in Republican campaign against trans people

Instead of my writing about this story, I’ll post a YouTube video from Rachel Maddow who is reporting on this horrendous attempt. It appears that the GOP Attorneys General from 19 states are planning to go after the private personal medical records of...

www.dailykos.com

19 state AGs have signed a letter about this power.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[Copernicus]

Tennessee A.G. uses private medical records in Republican campaign against trans people

Instead of my writing about this story, I’ll post a YouTube video from Rachel Maddow who is reporting on this horrendous attempt. It appears that the GOP Attorneys General from 19 states are planning to go after the private personal medical records of...

www.dailykos.com

19 state AGs have signed a letter about this power.

Creeping fascism is picking up the pace. Apparently, they've discovered that the HIPAA law is no barrier to this kind of invasion of privacy by state governments. It is a new way to politically target special groups that the GOP is going after. This will have wider impact regarding protections for pregnant women and access to contraception. It's also possible that the records could help GOP lawmakers with oppo research on Democratic rivals by exposing details of their medical care in some states.

 

[blastula]

Issue 1 poll: Most Ohio voters oppose plan to make it harder to amend constitution

A USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll found 57% of voters were against Issue 1, including some Republicans and opponents of abortion.

www.cincinnati.com

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Issue 1 poll: Most Ohio voters oppose plan to make it harder to amend constitution

A USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll found 57% of voters were against Issue 1, including some Republicans and opponents of abortion.

www.cincinnati.com

Ohio is getting so hard to predict these days. That poll is definitely good news. Generally we are seeing 55% to 65% support for abortion rights. I'm curious what the GOP would do next. Probably pass something in the gerrymandered legislature.

 

[lpetrich]

What you need to know about the next wave of abortion ballot measures - Vox - "How the tactics and arguments are changing ahead of 2024."

Noting that abortion won in all 6 ballot measures that it has recently been on, and plans for at least 10 more.

In some states, like FL, SD, OH, AZ, MO, a ballot measure would restore rights that were lost, while in others, like NV, MD, CO, NY, a ballot measure would support existing protections.

Anti-abortion groups are spending heavily to oppose them.

There are also a lot of fights about the ballot-measure process itself, as Republicans try to make it harder for such measures to get on the ballot, and once on the ballot, to win.

Most of these measures will be voted on in the 2024 elections, but Ohio's one is coming up this November.

In some states, citizens can collect petition signatures to get measures on the ballot; in others, lawmakers have to first approve the proposals. The recent success of abortion rights measures has catalyzed efforts by Republican lawmakers to restrict these voter initiatives. As of late June, according to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a progressive group that supports state referendum campaigns, 14 states are considering a total of 50 pending measures that raise new hurdles for ballot measures.

Republican lawmakers in Arkansas, for example, recently passed new requirements for ballot measures to have signatures of support from 50 counties, rather than just 15. (Three years ago, Arkansas voters had rejected a similar requirement.) Republican lawmakers in other states are seeking to raise the number of votes needed for a ballot measure to pass.

GOP elected officials say they want to protect the integrity of the ballot initiative process, which they argue is too easily influenced by out-of-state interests.

But abortion rights advocates see a direct response to their past victories. In Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, and Montana in 2022, between 52 and 59 percent of voters cast their ballots in support of reproductive rights. If their referendum thresholds had been 60 percent, as some states now propose, all those initiatives would have failed.

While Republicans mostly deny their proposed changes to ballot initiatives are motivated by opposition to abortion rights, some of their less guarded remarks and contradictory behavior have suggested otherwise.

 

[lpetrich]

In Ohio,

State Republican lawmakers, who voted last year to repeal August special elections as low-turnout wastes of money, recently authorized one anyway: This August, Ohio voters will determine whether to raise the vote threshold for passing future constitutional changes from a simple majority, as has been the case for 100 years, to 60 percent.

For months, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose denied he had switched positions on August special elections because of abortion rights. In June, though, video footage reported by News 5 Cleveland and the Ohio Capital Journal showed LaRose admitting abortion was motivating his stance. “Some people say this is all about abortion. Well, you know what?” he was recorded saying. “It’s 100 percent about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution — the left wants to jam it in there this coming November.”

Ohio Republican state Senate President Matt Huffman separately went so far as to say that holding a $20 million August special election would be worth it “if we save 30,000 lives as a result.” (There were 21,813 abortions performed in Ohio in 2021.)

On the other side, "Abortion rights leaders are debating whether to codify Roe v. Wade standards or push beyond them"

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Women in crisis forced to make desperate choices in a state that criminalizes abortions. Putting the mother in jail for two years is sure to prevent her from terrorizing the public.

It's about deterrence.

I was going to argue with you but you are right. It’s about deterrence through fear. And about controlling women.

Yeah, if they don't put her in jail, why should anyone obey the authoritarian law?

Can't compel a baker to expression, but can compel a woman to give birth.

Sentenced to 90 days in jail. The right-wing is full of shit. Abortion is murder... and she covered up a murder... 90 days in jail? Why? Because people would be marching in the street if she got 20 years?

In a plea bargain earlier this month, Jessica Burgess pleaded guilty to two felonies – removing, concealing or abandoning a dead human body; and performing an abortion beyond 20 weeks – and the misdemeanor charge of false reporting.

And finally, Meta is dead to me. Yes, this is old news, but to hell with Facebook.

Police in Norfolk, Neb., had been investigating the woman, Jessica Burgess, and her daughter, Celeste Burgess, for allegedly mishandling the fetal remains of what they'd told police was Celeste's stillbirth in late April. They faced charges of concealing a death and disposing of human remains illegally.

But in mid-June, police also sent a warrant to Facebook requesting the Burgess' private messages. Authorities say those conversations showed the pregnancy had been aborted, not miscarried as the two had said.