SUPREME IDIOCY

This week the Supreme Court ruled on two cases that will change our society for the worse. First, they ruled in favor of the plaintiffs who argued that a New York state law limiting areas where one can carry a gun in unconstitutional. In this age of mass shootings that seem to have occurred in every and all public spaces, how this ruling make sense? 

The second amendment is used as a justification for this decision. Let us examine that text: "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." First, we have a standing army of professional soldiers and police forces that maintain security in this country. We are no longer reliant on militia to protect us. In fact, many militia groups are rightly viewed as extremists and terrorists. Not surprisingly, these groups are heavily-armed, and many of them took part in the storming of the capital. What planet are these justices living on?

The second decision this week that was even more cataclysmic was the ruling in favor of Dobbs (State of Mississippi) v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that effectively overturned the 49 year precedent of Roe v. Wade that had guaranteed a woman's right to abortion. Almost instantaneously, abortion is now illegal in over half of our states, including Michigan that has a trigger ban based on an old state statute. 

What this means is that half of Americans - its women - no longer have full citizenship or bodily autonomy. This is a travesty. This podcast with an abortion provider from Austin lays out what our world looked like even prior to this ruling, and things will only worsen.

More concerning, the 6-3 majority opinion opens the door to overturning other laws that rested on the right to privacy enshrined in the 14th amendment. These laws concern contraception, gay marriage, and interracial marriage. I would not be surprised if attacks on these accepted facets of our society come under attack next.

So what can we as citizens do? How can we act? We are still a nation of laws, which means that laws can be used to enshrine our rights and freedoms. Donate to gun control groups like Brady and Everytown and abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood. Finally, vote in every single race for elected office and remove anyone who does not support the sensible gun control laws and vital abortion access laws we need right now. It may take a generation and a new Supreme Court to roll back these anachronistic rulings, but change starts with us right now.