Welcome to post 2016 America, where members of the Texas State Legislature actually sent this letter to a prestigious Texas law firm, Sidley Austin LLP. I am struck by the hysterical language of the first paragraph:
“It has come to our attention that Sidley Austin has decided to reimburse the travel costs of employees who leave Texas to murder their unborn children (emphasis added). It also appears that Sidley has been complicit in illegal abortions that were performed in Texas before and after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392. We are writing to inform you of the consequences that you and your colleagues will face for these actions.”
Apparently, these same fine legislators plan to introduce new legislation to accompany a 1925 draconian abortion statute that criminalizes “furnishing the means” for procuring an abortion. These legislators intend to criminalize “paying for elective abortions or reimbursing abortion-related expenses—regardless of where the abortion occurs, and regardless of the law in the jurisdiction where the abortion occurs.”
So, apparently, we have reached a point in America where one state (Texas) will criminalize the conduct of a company for assisting that which is perfectly legal in another state.
Last year, with the Roe and Casey line of cases still the law of the land, State Senate Bill 8 took effect in Texas. The bill outlawed abortion around six weeks of gestation with no exceptions for rape or incest. Without question, the bill was unconstitutional at the time it was enacted. But the Texas Legislature was emboldened by recent Supreme Court appointments and correctly predicted the demise of Roe and Casey.
While I am no fan of abortion, I firmly believe that women should have the right to control their own bodies and make their own reproductive decisions.
The GOP has long advocated for “smaller government,” decrying government overreach and intrusions through regulation. Can you think of anything more intrusive than the government entering our bedrooms, doctors’ offices, employment, and/or neighbor-to-neighbor relationships? Aren't Republicans supposed to be the proponents of “state’s rights.” Apparently, Texas Republicans seek to make their state an authoritarian theocracy, enforcing their version of “Christian values” on everyone within their borders. This intrusive government overreach by the party of “limited government” is the very definition of hypocrisy.
Will women now be chased across state borders and arrested based on their intent to control their own bodies? Will prominent employers in so-called red states be prosecuted for assisting employees in need of reproductive advice or solutions in blue states? Will boyfriends, husbands, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, nurses, doctors now be prosecuted for aiding and abetting this and similar absurd local definitions of “murder?” (Even the referenced 1925 law does not refer to abortion as “murder.”)
How will “murder” be defined going forward? Are Ted Bundy and a doctor who terminates pregnancies judged by the same legal standards? Will vigilante groups be formed for the purpose of filing civil suits against those who seek to control their own reproductive destinies? Why would any woman who supports the right to self-determination or control of her own body want to live in Texas? And why would any company who can easily move want to conduct business in such a threatening environment?
Deep Divisions
The abortion issue in this country is only one of several issues we cannot agree upon. We are now seeing legal, cultural, and social divides not seen since the Civil War. I am quite concerned with the current state of our politics.
January 6th put the divide on graphic display and our government's response to what can only be called an insurrection has been troubling. On January 6th, the president of the United States assembled, cheered on, then demanded that the Secret Service allow him to join with the insurrectionists as they destroyed our Capitol. If you’re a Democrat, these “protestors” were criminals and so were their enablers (Republican all) in our government.
But to many Republicans (not all) these were legitimate protestors, protesting a “rigged” election. An important Congressional investigation into the events of January 6th, more important even than the Watergate hearings of another era, is embraced by the left and dismissed by the right.
We can’t agree on reproductive rights, healthcare, environmental issues, voting rights, gerrymandering, taxes, economic issues, freedom, equality, or simple justice. In short, this country cannot agree on anything.
At the center of it all is Donald Trump, the most divisive president in American history. Whether you hate him or love him, he is responsible for the political virus that currently plagues our country. Can you think of any other president in history who might have cheerled an event like January 6th or called the criminals involved “very special people”?
There are ominous signs that this narcissistic, evil man is not through deliberately picking at the divisive scab that currently holds our delicate union together. Most pundits say he plans to run again in 2024. He is currently and quietly manipulating state and local infrastructure across the country to “legally” control future elections—to avoid the legitimate consequences of losing, as he did in 2020. This is a very dangerous man, more toxic to this country than any foreign terrorist we have encountered on our history.
Inflation is important, but it is a global issue, caused by many factors outside our current government’s control. We have experienced periods of high inflation and economic turmoil in the past, survived, and come out stronger for the experience. People are inclined to vote their pocketbooks. “It’s the economy, stupid,” is a constant political refrain.
But for at least the next two elections we are voting on issues that are far more important and on conditions that are far worse than inflation—we are currently experiencing a Constitutional crisis. Our very existence as a democratic republic is in peril.
The next two elections, if you care about this country and the ominous, divided course her citizens continue to chart for her, please vote. Vote as if your freedoms and your ability to participate in free and fair elections in the future are at stake.
The future, my friends, depends on all of us.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the headlines, realistic fiction that speak truth to power and champion the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com. Mark also hosts the Justice Counts podcast with Lean to the Left editor & publisher Bob Gatty, presenting bi-weekly interviews focused on social justice.