Booker and Sherrill Go on Offense
BLOOMFIELD – It’s not as if Democrats and like-minded souls need to be reminded that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade just about a year ago.
Still, the coming anniversary (June 24) was noted, or rather condemned, at a luncheon gathering Friday sponsored by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey and featuring Sen. Cory Booker and local CD-11 Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
There was no need to convince anyone of anything. Up to a hundred people who squeezed into The Brookdale restaurant on Broad Street all agreed about fighting for women’s reproductive rights.
But how?
Sherrill said controlling state legislatures is key. That’s not a problem in New Jersey, where Democrats clarified statewide abortion rights in anticipation of Roe being struck down. But considering things can change, Sherrill reminded the audience that the entire 120-member New Jersey Legislature is up for election this fall.
But there’s also danger on the federal level. The congresswoman pointed out that the court decision throws the abortion issue back to the states. However, she said there is strong sentiment among some Republicans for a nationwide abortion ban.
This has been a Democratic argument since the court decision 12 months ago. And it’s one they have used successfully. Not only did Dems do better than expected in last year’s midterms, voters endorsed abortion rights in varying forms last year in six state referendums around the country.
Both Sherrill and Booker lamented a current playing field where many states have sharply curtailed reproductive rights.
Sherrill said that Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country, grants women more rights in this regard than many states.
“That’s shocking and offensive to me,” said the congresswoman, who described herself as an Irish-American.
Booker said he feared the same reactionary wave that led to overturning Roe could eventually chip away at rights for African-Americans, gays and those with disabilitities.
Giving up is not the answer.
“The struggle is real, the fight is long,” the senator said, adding that he understands if people get frustrated and angry.
Booker scanned the room and said he was glad to see a few men in the audience. He said they should relate to the issue on a very basic level.
“You have a body. This is about the freedom to control your body,” he said.
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They lament that states are not dismembering innocent life. Unlike New Jersey which supports abortion up till birth! They’re lobbying to continue this barbaric practice, how sad these two are!
Republicans do not want all abortions to be prohibited
Anyone who believes that a women can have an abortion up until birth is a murderer
Until viability a fetus is not a living human being
Until viability a fetus is not a living human being
If that’s how you really feel, that is sad. Controlling women is the barbaric practice here. What happened to Republicans wanting to keep the government out of personal matters?
What happened to Republicans wanting the government to be kept out of personal matters? Oh, no, I get it. Republicans only like absolute government when they are the ones on control. Hypocrites. It’s sad how far they’ve fallen
Conservative Republicans follow the Constitution.
Article 21 The Right to Life
Henry: Article 21 of the Constitution overturned the prohibition on alcohol, you absolute donkey. Stop lying to cover for fascists controlling women’s bodies.
Booker and Sherrill don’t even know the definition of a woman. Why are they even involved in reproduction rights when they support trans rights where men can get pregnant (LOL!!!!)??????
And, for the moronic women on these posts, Republicans are saying what the rest of the world say: That abortions are prohibited after 15 weeks. The only countries that allow abortions to be done at full term are the dictatorships of Communist China, North Korea, Iran. The United States is trying like hell to keep up with these tyrannical dictatorships. I guess women want a dictatorship in this country because they need someone to tell them what to do every minute of every day.
I believe that that the cells growing inside a womb will, at some point, become a human being. Therefore, the decision to abort should never be made lightly. It’s precisely because the decision is such an important one that I believe that decision should made by the woman – not preachers, and not Republicans.
A lot of the comments here are very concerned about late-term abortions. Such abortions are a rarity. LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of abortions in the USA are performed after 21 weeks of pregnancy – before the fetus is viable.
Those abortions occurring later than 21 weeks are NOT ELECTIVE. Such abortions are done ONLY for medical reasons involving the mother or fetus. Abortions are NOT done at full term.
If anyone has documented proof of an abortion occuring at full term for a reason other than a medical emergency, please post your proof. Republicans are constantly decrying full-term abortions, which doctors say never happen.
If you beleive in the sanctity of life, and that life begins at conception, being opposed to a woman being able to choose and adopting a policy of forced birth makes sensce. Make your case during debate- but don’t rely on examples of situations that rarely, if ever, occur.