What is notable about both Plessy and Roe, is that the majority in each found it necessary to ignore the obvious to rule the way they did. At best, they bought into a lie. And sadly, whatever the motivations of individual judges, the black community targeted by Plessy, has also been affected disproportionately by Roe.
The majority’s decision in Roe could not have had a good outcome under any circumstances, but the current controversy is yet another example of how poorly adjudicated decisions tend to have unintended — and often terrible — consequences beyond those readily realized.
Of course, in the 1950s, many legal experts, law professors and politicians insisted that the segregation allowed by Plessy was “settled law.” Today, “experts” and politicians say the same about the abortion legacy of Roe.
But Plessy was unhinged from reality, and the courage of brave men and women such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks unsettled this “settled law” and earned the respect of the judgment of history.
Roe too is unhinged from the truth that everyone knows. Needed are more brave men and women willing to stand up and demand that a nation’s law on abortion will never be settled until it is brought into conformity with the truth.
Marvelous, pithy, eloquent. The supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus nails it.
I especially like this part:
[i]”There are no winners in abortion. There are only the dead and the wounded.”[/i] And Anderson immediately goes on, [i]”And all involved need to be embraced with compassion and love.”[/i]
Except perhaps the abortion providers.
I loved the ending. Yes, “separate but equal” did indeed appear to be “settled law” just over 50 years ago. Someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, Roe vs. Wade will be unsettled and dumped too.
And the biggest beneficiaries of that overdue change will be the African American segment of the country. With almost 40% of the abortions, but comprising only 13% of the population, blacks stand to gain the most.
David Handy+
Things don’t change. Congress is trying to re-enact [i]Plessy[/i] in the State of Hawaii right now:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703411304575093180795586118.html
“Congress Tries to Break Hawaii in Two” (Wall Street Journal), 2/28/10
Why racial segregation enacted at the federal level should be entitled to any more deference than segregation at the state level, I don’t know.