http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/04/personhood-colorado_n_6104120.html
Earlier this month Colorado voters rejected a measure that would have granted developing fetuses personhood rights under the 14th amendment. Consequences of this amendment, had it passed, would include harsher punishments for people who cause the death of a pregnant woman's baby and the criminalization of women who get abortions. It would also call into question the legality of in vitro fertilization and certain kinds of contraception. This is the third time that this particular bill has been rejected in Colorado, and other states such as Mississippi and South Dakota have also rejected similar bills in the past.
While I am no supporter of abortion, I am a supporter of a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body and her life in general. I don't like the fact that this bill would criminalize women who get abortions and possibly make illegal in vitro fertilization and certain contraception. Women who find themselves in such a situation that they feel an abortion is their only way out should under no circumstances be treated with judgement or hate. These women likely recognize the gravity of their actions, and there is no need for people to make them feel any worse about it. These women must be treated with love and support so that they don't feel alone or trapped, as feelings like this very well may have caused them to get an abortion in the first place.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Protection of election integrity or discrimination?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/us/supreme-court-upholds-texas-voter-id-law.html?_r=0
On October 18th, the Supreme Court ruled that Texas could use its stricter voter ID laws for the November elections. These ID laws state that in order to vote, citizens must present a photo ID. While that doesn't seem too bad, opponents of the ruling state that the court's action could deny the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of otherwise eligible voters. Opponents also argue that a disproportionate number of these voters who will be barred from voting by the new law are African American or Hispanic. The process for obtaining a Texas state issued ID is also difficult as travel times to agencies issuing IDs can be upwards of 3 hours for some people.
I honestly don't know what to think about this. It seems ridiculous that racial discrimination at the polls could still be a thing, and one has to wonder why these hundreds of thousands of voters don't have photo IDs (Don't they drive? Don't they at least have a gun license or a passport lying around? Do they only have unacceptable forms of ID such as student IDs or tribal IDs? Surely they have something.) However, I can kind of see where the opponents of this ruling are coming from. I don't know anything about where these voters are coming from, and if I were in their position I'd be really ticked off if I couldn't vote just because I didn't have an ID. But at the same time, I can see how the use of IDs would prevent illegal aliens and resident aliens from voting, which is something we definitely don't want. It's a complicated issue.
On October 18th, the Supreme Court ruled that Texas could use its stricter voter ID laws for the November elections. These ID laws state that in order to vote, citizens must present a photo ID. While that doesn't seem too bad, opponents of the ruling state that the court's action could deny the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of otherwise eligible voters. Opponents also argue that a disproportionate number of these voters who will be barred from voting by the new law are African American or Hispanic. The process for obtaining a Texas state issued ID is also difficult as travel times to agencies issuing IDs can be upwards of 3 hours for some people.
I honestly don't know what to think about this. It seems ridiculous that racial discrimination at the polls could still be a thing, and one has to wonder why these hundreds of thousands of voters don't have photo IDs (Don't they drive? Don't they at least have a gun license or a passport lying around? Do they only have unacceptable forms of ID such as student IDs or tribal IDs? Surely they have something.) However, I can kind of see where the opponents of this ruling are coming from. I don't know anything about where these voters are coming from, and if I were in their position I'd be really ticked off if I couldn't vote just because I didn't have an ID. But at the same time, I can see how the use of IDs would prevent illegal aliens and resident aliens from voting, which is something we definitely don't want. It's a complicated issue.
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