Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Some arguments perceived as begin 'slippery slope' arguments aren't that at all. Some are actually just the logical consequence. Take the case of abortion rights. When the president of Planned Parenthood, Gloria Felt, says "In a realistic worst-case scenario, we could lose not only our right to abortion, but even our right to birth control," I don't believe she is being unduly alarmist at all.

If Roe v. Wade were overturned, and all abortions made illegal - either federally or in individual states (some of which still have the laws on the books and would therefore be able to begin enforcing them immediately) - then the State will have effectively declared that womens' bodies, when pregnant, are subject to its control. While birth control pills are not actually abortifacients, the usual suspects obsessed with controlling womens' reproductive decisions claim that they are.

Another worst case scenario, which I would have added, is the mass exodus of doctors out of the OBGYN business. This is one area where threat of malpractice appears to have genuinely been an issue, but that is nothing compared to the threat of criminal prosecution for something as simple as a botched invasive pre-natal procedure, or the possible need to get a Judge's approval for certain procedures.