Roe v Wade

I was dismayed at the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, allowing states to introduce their own Abortion Laws, mainly to let states that so wished; totally ban or severely restrict access to abortion services.

The Supreme Court majority decision also left open the prospect of hearing future cases to ban contraception, same-sex marriage and other recently acquired human rights and freedoms.

Whilst this decision of the Supreme Court has been welcomed by some - a majority of people in the USA support abortion rights, putting the Supreme Court at odds with the majority.

The latest opinion polls show that 61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, whilst only 37% of Americans think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Those with no opinion either way are excluded. So how is it that the court is at odds with the majority view?

Looking further into the statistics, you find that of the 37% of Americans who think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, 80% are Republican voters.

Why has all this happened?

There are three reasons: Religion, Money, Power.

Let’s take Religion first, although no religion can be separated from money and power because that is what they all depend and thrive on.

In this American instance, it is the Christian religion behind the 50-year determination to have Roe v Wade overturned. Mainly driven by the Catholic Church and to a lesser extent the Christian Evangelical Churches (i.e., churches that believe in the total authority of the Bible), but not necessarily none evangelical Christians or their churches. Many other religions did not want Roe v Wade overturned, even Christian ones however, the opinions of these do not count in the fanatic determination of the Catholic Church on this subject.

This determination I find problematic because the Catholic Church teaches that all forms of artificial contraception are in fact acts of abortion, whilst the Bible says nothing about contraception at all.

Despite Roe v Wade being about surgical abortion, this teaching that all artificial forms of contraception are abortions raises problems itself, with 84% of practising Catholics having used at some time or other artificial contraception believing that it is acceptable. Also, the majority of the members of the Vatican Second Council (Vatican II), determined that some forms of artificial contraception were not abortive and should be allowed. A view currently supported by 78% of 12,000 catholic priests surveyed. 

So here again, we have a majority of Catholics and Catholic priests at odds with their leaders, although not necessarily with surgical abortion versus the belief that artificial contraception is abortion.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church has fiercely, cruelly and often illegally fought against contraception. See my notes on this lower down on the following page: https://compare-religions.jimdofree.com/apocalypse/ 

Right, now we know why the Catholics and the Evangelicals in the main, although amongst others, set about wanting to overturn Roe v Wade. So how did they go about it?

Mainly through Power and Money. How to get people into positions powerful enough to bring about the overturn of Roe v Wade?

There has been a lot of nonsense and conspiracy theories about the Catholic Opus Dei, driven by thriller novels and films. So, what is Opus Dei really?

Opus Dei was established in Spain in 1928, given Catholic Church approval in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, and made a personal prelature by Pope John Paul II in 1982.

Opus Dei, a part of the Catholic Church, teaches the doctrine of Catholicism, focusing on the lives of ordinary Catholics rather than priests or monks. As such, its organization of over 100,000 members, under the auspices of the Vatican, consists of approximately 70% lay people, men and women who have ordinary secular careers and families. The remaining 30% are generally celibate, most living in Opus Dei centres, with 7% of these celibates being priests.

Opus Dei is a very secretive and Machiavellian organization. It is influential in many areas of society – charities, running universities, university residences, schools, publishing houses, hospitals, and technical and agricultural training centres.

Opus Dei targeted influential Republican political and business people to recruit them to its organisation to influence them toward overturning Roe v Wade. The politicians, in turn, could benefit from Opus Dei’s reach to voters to help them obtain greater political power. The business people could benefit from a Republican government, and ultimately Republican-leaning court appointees, including the Supreme Court, who would be favourable to watering down or overturning laws that negatively impacted their businesses. Particularly laws relating to environmental protection, climate change, worker rights etc.

So, now, there is a messy and secretive organisation, within an organisation, of fanatical right-wing Catholics intent on overturning Roe v Wade. Republican politicians on the hard right of the party who want power and the financial backing of big businesses and business leaders prepared to provide the needed financial backing to their fellow Republican politicians in exchange for leniency in the laws governing their businesses. 

In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that governments could not prohibit political donations from corporations, non-profit corporations, labour unions and other associations. A ruling many consider idiotic because it opened the floodgates for big businesses to give virtually unlimited financial support to their preferred political cronies. Think oil and gas companies, plastics, National Rifle Association, Chemical companies etc. During the court’s ruling, the dissenting justices warned against opening the doors to unlimited funding because of the risk of major financial-political corruption, which many believe is now the norm.

In the run-up to the Supreme Court agreeing to take on the Roe v Wade case with the expectation of achieving the overturn, effective players needed to be put into place.

The Washington Headquarters of the secretive Catholic Opus Dei, known as “The Catholic Information Centre” (CIC), is just two blocks from the White House.

Opus Dei targeted American political and business leaders for conversion, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; former U.S. Senator Sam Brownback; Larry Kudlow, National Economic Council director under Trump; Judge Robert Bork, Reagan’s failed Supreme Court nominee; and Fox News Host Laura Ingraham.

Add to this mix The Federalist Society, a legal organisation that holds enormous power on the legal and political scene. The society believes in a strict and unbending textual interpretation of the constitution. It is a far-right-leaning conservative organisation. Six of the current nine Supreme Court Justices are either current or former members of the society.

Donald Trump promised the Christian right that lifted him to power that he would appoint justices who would overturn Roe v Wade. He kept his word. But he was quietly guided to the right choices in his judicial nominations by a troika of people who quietly make things happen in Washington.

The Troika:

Pat Cipollone, who served as White House counsel to Trump from December 2018 to January 2021, was listed as a member of the Opus Dei CIC board, at least until CIC stopped publishing their board list in October 2018. Today, his daughter-in-law is a clerk for Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Leonard Leo, long-time CIC Director was a key outside advisor to the White House on judicial nominations. He was and remains a leader of the Federalist Society, the right’s answer to the American Bar Association, who led campaigns in support of Supreme Court nominees John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. 

William Barr chaired the small CIC board in 2014 and served until 2017 when he joined the Trump administration as attorney general. Following his departure as attorney general in January 2021, Barr eventually came home to the Catholic Information Centre as a senior fellow, and in October 2021, he was installed as “the inaugural holder” of the new “St. Thomas More Chair.” He is not the only member of the troika to be recognized for his contributions—CIC is also presenting Leonard Leo with an award. Barr has made speeches at the Federalist Society and though not currently a member, strongly supports them.

That these three power brokers were (and may still be) leaders in a key Opus Dei agency is a matter of record. Their role in installing Trump’s anti-Roe v Wade justices on the Supreme Court is also a matter of record.

Therefore, the overturn of Roe v Wade is the result of fanatic religious intrigue, corrupt self-seeking politicians, and big business greed, all ignoring democracy and the will and needs of the people.

The three justices that Trump appointed are considered to have misled Congress in their appointment hearings. 

Brett Kavanaugh attended a Jesuit school and was from a strong Catholic family. He is also a member of the Federalist Society.

Neil Gorsuch attended a Jesuit school, marrying outside the catholic church to a British Anglican. He now says he attends an Episcopal church. Gorsuch is a known anti-abortion advocate.

Amy Coney Barrett attended an all-girls Roman Catholic school and is a practising Catholic. A former member of the Federalist Society, with which she still has strong ties. She has been an anti-abortion campaigner.

Before their appointments to the Supreme Court, Trump had clearly announced that he intended to fill the court with anti-abortion justices with the direct intent of overturning the Roe v Wade legislation. This intention was reported and broadcast widely. Trump, it is generally believed, could not care less about Roe v Wade other than seeing it as an opportunity to increase his standing with right-wing conservatives and to gain campaign funds.

For these justices to pretend they did not know why they were being appointed is disingenuous.

And at the time of writing this, I have just seen that these justices have overturned part of the government's Environmental Protection Agency’s objective to curtail power plant greenhouse gas emissions. This is to the joy of American big business and the despair of the rest of the world.

True democracy depends upon a clear distinction between State and Church, and the control of authoritarianism from either the extreme left or right. 

The USA is heading toward being an authoritarian country of the political hard right combined with radical Christianity.

What do I think?

Foremost, I believe that the Catholic Church is the most evil, cruel, hypocritical and misogynistic organisation that has ever been foisted upon humanity. 

The Vatican, after its own research, says that one in twenty priests are paedophiles. Other Vatican research indicates that 15% of priests are homosexual (then, unbelievably, say this is OK because it equates favourably with other religions!). Before aids drugs, the death rate of Catholic priests from aids was six times the national average in America.

The number of the most senior Vatican personnel who are homosexual is said to be 80%!!

The number of Catholic priests secretly married and having children is unknown but generally considered large by investigative journalists and is now reluctantly admitted by the Vatican.

There is nothing wrong with being homosexual, so why do these people pretend to adhere to a doctrine that says differently? 

Fortunately, as reported by the National Catholic Register in April 2022, there is now pressure from within the church to remove the language of Catholic teaching that states that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” and “under no circumstances can be approved”— pressure that critics believe is part of an effort by some groups and individuals to normalize the “sinful” behaviour within the Church. 

Many priests believe this is the way forward, to allow blessings of homosexual relationships. Also, to stop the very rapid decline in American Catholic church congregations. According to a Gallup poll reported in the National Catholic Register, down 20% in only two years. Membership, however, is increasing in poorer, less educated, third-world countries.

The Supreme Court, and to some extent many lower courts, are not fit for purpose and need root and branch reform. Justices appointed by politicians, or in some courts voted to the bench by the general public, is nonsense. Courts should never rely upon nor pander to politicians. Expecting the general public to understand the intricacies of law, is also nonsense. Voters vote for the political party the justice candidate supports.

Countries that have Presidential forms of government are poorer than those that have Parliamentary forms of government. And when a country has a constitution somewhat set in stone, that courts can then use the strict textual interpretation of to bend to their political will, is even worse.

Roe v Wade should never have been overturned. Unwanted pregnancies worldwide are estimated to be 40% of all births. Ideally, if artificial contraception was made widely available and affordable to all, there would be a dramatic fall in this percentage. Similarly, if professional sex education was made available to all young teenagers, as it is in a few countries, this would drive a further reduction. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church is vehemently opposed to both.

There would still be unwanted pregnancies, and the right to surgical and or medical abortion should be an available choice to all women.

If you hold an anti-abortion belief and unfortunately, find yourself with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy; you can go ahead and continue the pregnancy until birth with full medical support. You then have the emotional choice, along with expert advice and guidance, as to whether to keep and raise your child or offer it for adoption. These are your rights.

If on the other hand, you, unfortunately, find yourself with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy and decide that you do not want to continue the pregnancy through to birth; you can choose to have the pregnancy terminated either medically or surgically, with expert help and guidance. That should be your right.

Women’s rights have been taken away by an evil, cruel, hypocritical and misogynistic organisation run by leaders who are prepared to plot, cheat and bribe to get their way. They are assisted by corrupt politicians who ignore the will of the people - for their own ends of power, greed and money. Then, they are backed up by an illegitimate justice system controlled by Opus Dei, the Catholic Information Centre and the Federalist Society.

So, where do we go from here?

It looks as though the current Democratic government will wait until the mid-term elections in November 2022 to see what they bring. Historically the incumbent party loses seats.

If by any chance, the Democrats end up with a majority in both houses, which seems unlikely, they could put forward a bill to allow abortion nationally. While this would probably pass in the Senate, it would fail to pass in Congress because of the filibuster rule that says Congress must have a 60/40 majority vote to pass a bill.

The President could, if he wished, use the “Nuclear Option” which would mean rewriting the filibuster rules. Rewriting the rules could be achieved by a simple majority vote to eliminate the 60/40 filibuster. There are other “mini-Nuke options too. However, again, this can only be achieved with a majority of seats in both houses.

If this happened, laws could be passed at the national level to deal with abortion rights and even climate change.

Another alternative is a National Referendum. These are extremely rare and highly unlikely. Citizen-led referenda by state is another option, especially for Democratic-controlled states. A win for abortion rights in a citizen-lead state referendum would guarantee these rights without all the shenanigans of the courts.

Charles.

Research: Wiki, National Catholic Register, BBC, Voxmedia, NPR, Politico, CNN.