Editorial Excerpts, December 2023

Los Angeles Times

The Mexican Supreme Court of Justice decision decriminalizing abortion last week is a landmark ruling in a country that has historically outlawed the procedure with harsh penalties for the women who sought it and the health care professionals who provided it. …

Yet, as Mexico and other Latin American countries demonstrate remarkable progress toward protecting the right to bodily autonomy, the U.S. is going backward. Our Supreme Court undid protections for abortion last year when it overturned Roe v. Wade. And now a growing number of states are working to erode protections of individual rights as their legislators search for more harrowing and surreal ways to criminalize abortions. So much for the USA being a beacon of freedom. In Texas, where abortion is illegal unless the pregnant person’s life is in danger, a number of cities are considering “trafficking” laws to make it a crime to help a pregnant person travel on roads in that city to get an abortion in another state (like neighboring New Mexico, where abortion is still allowed). Just as the infamous Texas Senate Bill 8 allowed a private citizen to sue someone suspected of having helped a person get an abortion past about six weeks of pregnancy (before Roe v. Wade was overturned), a private citizen would have the right to sue someone they suspected of helping a person travel on Texas roads and highways out of town for an abortion. …

It’s heartening to witness the progress Mexico has made in restoring rights—and it’s maddening to see the destruction of those rights continue in the U.S.

–September 10, 2023

Santa Fe New Mexican

A near-total ban on abortion evidently is not enough for some Texans obsessed with halting all such procedures anywhere, for nearly any reason.

Now, the zealots are attempting to limit the freedom of women to leave the state and travel elsewhere to seek an abortion.

This attack on freedom of movement is in its early stages, focusing on prohibiting individuals from driving on local roads in search of an abortion. As the only state bordering Texas where abortion is legal, travel to New Mexico is a clear focus of such ordinances, with routes that lead to New Mexico targeted. …

Freedom of movement is a fundamental American value. It is protected by the U.S. Constitution. Curtailing interstate travel is so contrary to our history that even conservative pro-life officials are hesitating. …

Already having lost the freedom to make choices about whether to give birth, the women of Texas now face losing the freedom to move about without being questioned.

Stay alert.…

The anti-abortion movement is advancing. Oh, for pro-life activists who would turn from a focus on outlawing abortion to helping women prevent unwanted pregnancies. In this better world, they would work with abortion rights supporters to make reality what should be a common goal—ensuring that every baby is loved, wanted, and welcome.

–September 5, 2023