Fighting the Spread of the Texas Taliban

Women’s right to control their own bodies is under attack like never before now that the Trump-stacked U.S. Supreme Court has sanctioned a draconian Texas law that creates a system of vigilante injustice for women seeking an abortion. The law posts a $10,000 bounty on women, clinicians, doctors, even cab drivers who in any way help a woman in Texas terminate her pregnancy, no matter the cause And the Supreme Court, now dominated by conservatives and three justices appointed by Donald Trump said, hey, that’s just fine, folks.Now, it looks like several other Republican-controlled states are planning to copy that Texas law, including Arkansas, Florida, South Dakota, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, and South Carolina. In fact, the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports access to reproductive health, predicts that about a quarter of states will introduce legislation mirroring Texas’ abortion ban.At the same time, the Supreme Court is preparing to hear a case in Which Mississippi has asked it to overrule Roe v. Wade, the decision that established a woman’s right to an abortion. Countering that, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to call for a vote on legislation to cement the right to an abortion into federal law.But remember this. Republicans in the Senate will likely block any such legislation with their favorite tool, the filibuster. Attorney General Merrick Garland, meanwhile, says the Justice Department will “continue to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services.” Whatever that means. Democrats in Congress aren’t so sure, so those serving on the House Judiciary Committee have urged Garland to criminally prosecute those who try to enforce the Texas law.All of this is background to introduce our guest, Vicki Ringer, public affairs director for Planned parenthood Votes South Atlantic, who is preparing to help fight any effort in South Carolina to pass a Texas copycat abortion law.There, state Sen. Larry Grooms is readying such legislation. He sponsored a “fetal heartbeat” bill that just recently was affirmed as unconstitutional by a U.S. Court of Appeals.Take a listen to our interview, during which Vicki Ringer warns that the attack on abortion could be just the opening salvo by many of its opponents. Listen, learn...and take action.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-left-podcast--4719048/support.