The History of Women's Reproductive rights in the US by a Law Professor

Here is a link to a very interesting article about this topic.

One thing I learnt was that "abortion was legal in every state at the time the Constitution was adopted, and it was fairly common."

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SW-User

But how is it a "right"? It's not a right, It's a natural process created for procreation. They have abused and twisted it like humans do with everything. It's a moral issue and that alone. Really the government and people have no damn biz in it. It's the conscious of [i]each[/i] woman and what she chooses. SHE will have to answer for it.

DeWayfarer · 61-69, M

@SW-User the first amendment must be clarified. Then it can be a right.

SCOTUS refused to even mention it. They don't want to tackle that question. So they picked and chose the amendments to fit their decision rather than the whole constitution.

Letter of the law has always been a favorite method rather than spirit of the law among all conservatives. It allows them to pick and choose their own beliefs.

The spirit of the law would be the whole constitution. Including all amendments. That would go against their beliefs.

This and most issues are religious issues. Right to vote? Look to the Catholic Church. Ironic that Clarence Thomas is Catholic.

So look to Rome for further decisions. I'm certain the Pope is ecstatic and can't wait to advise.

hartfire

@SW-User The word "right", like the word "truth", has more than one dictionary definition.
That which is morally right (according to the precepts of any particular community) is not necessarily the same as a human right.
Human rights are a relatively modern concept which have slowly developed over about the last 5000 - 200 years. The Bible, in the story of Noah; Noah makes Canaan and all his present progeny and descendents into the slaves of his uncles and their descendents as punishment for having accidentally come across him (Noah) drunk and naked. God did not remove Noah's patriarchal privilege in the lineage of descent to King David and Jesus, thus condoning slavery.
Yet I would guess that 99.999% of us would agree that slavery is an absolute evil. Thus, not everything condoned in the Bible can be regarded as just or right.

Society tends to evolve towards greater justice, even though the process is excruciatingly slow and sometimes suffers temporary regressions.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was agreed in in 1948. Anyone can read it anytime online.

DeWayfarer · 61-69, M

@hartfire I see her point. Yet that definition took years to decide and still isn't settled. Look to Russia on that. They were also on that decision and still disagree.

hartfire

@DeWayfarer I agree that the 1st Amendment needs clarification.

If the USA is a signatory to the Universal Bill of Human Rights and wishes to remain so, then it has a legal obligation to clarify these rights in its Constitution.

DeWayfarer · 61-69, M

@hartfire It will unfortunately take a revolution first before that can happen.

This is a religious war after all.

hartfire

@DeWayfarer
From what I witness of the intensity in the debates, I'm sure that's true. :(