from Talk to Action

This Monday, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins came out swinging.

USA Today this morning gave front-page treatment to a story on the possible consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court amending its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion. "Rules on abortion may depend on where you live," headlined the newspaper. NARAL's Kellie Copeland is quoted saying "[We] feel the fight is coming back to the states." ... What this points to is the impact that the pro-life movement has had on the nation--more states than not would stand on the side of life, showing how far out the courts are on this issue of abortion. Pro-abortionists are growing desperate attempting now not only to silence the voice of the unborn but those that advocate for them as well.

Ummm ... well, Tony, not quite. Apparently fearing the same firestorm of a backlash that now has quite a few of the heroes of the South Dakota legislature scrambling to defend themselves even against more moderate challengers within their own party, plenty of their co-advocates in statehouses around the country are smelling smoke on the wind ... and prudently silencing themselves.

The ostensible inspiration for Perkins' rant was Sally Jacobsen of Northern Kentucky University, a professor forced into early retirement after "inviting" some of her postgraduate students to exercise their own right to free speech by pulling up 400 crosses planted on the university campus by a "Right to Life" group.

[photo removed by request of copyright holder. -admin]

But more germane than Perkins's fake snit over a sexagenarian teacher's "lawlessness" is the map heading USA Today's story: 'Roe v. Wade': The divided states of America .

On the surface, things seem to be looking pretty good for Tony and his friends. But a 50-cent tour of some red state legislatures explains why Tony's collar is feeling a little tight these days.

Louisiana's abortion bills promise fireworks, but to what end?

Two lawmakers have filed bills in the current legislative session that would ban abortion and penalize doctors who perform them.
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[A]ctivists for and against abortion rights agree on one thing: a Louisiana abortion ban will go nowhere. Even the American Civil Liberties Union, a routine opponent of any restrictions on abortion, is not bothering to go through the motions of testifying against the substance of the bills.
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Some anti-abortion legislators agree, though they're reluctant to say it publicly. They can't oppose the measures, for fear of angering their anti-abortion constituents. And only a few will admit that passage of a ban would be little more than a show.
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Louisiana isn't the only state following South Dakota's lead. Nine other state legislatures have similar legislation. In Mississippi, an abortion ban passed both houses but died in a conference committee.
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The last time Louisiana passed an abortion ban was 1991. It was later struck down in the courts.

Rep. Peppi Bruneau, a 30-year veteran of the state House, recalled that legislators could get little else done that year. Abortion was on everyone's mind.

"It dominated everything," said Bruneau, R-New Orleans. "It became the dominant issue of the session."

Not this time around. Not in Louisiana, and not in several other places. In the weeks since the nation was rudely jolted awake over the South Dakota ban, an impressive number of previously reliable "pro-life" legislatures have allowed anti-choice bills to be put down without more than a token whimper.

Home to the fanatical Senator Tom Coburn, Oklahoma has one of the most rabidly anti-choice Congressional delegations in the country, but you'd never know it if you were sitting in the statehouse in Oklahoma City.

A series of House-passed anti-abortion bills deemed to be punitive by some Democratic state senators went unheard as a deadline expired today for hearing House measures in Senate committees.

Senator Bernest Cain did not place any of the bills on the agenda for the final meeting on House legislation of his Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

The Oklahoma City Democrat says the Legislature passed a comprehensive abortion program last year that included parental notification and he considers the new bills "just piling on."

Cain says he considers the bills sent over from the House to be "more political" than a serious attempt to address the problem.

Senate Republican leader Glen Coffee of Edmond said he was disheartened that Cain's committee didn't consider the bills. Coffee says it's Democrats who are playing politics.

Indiana Right to Life blames the longtime Republican Senate leader for killing a bill that would have compelled doctors -- in defiance of medical evidence -- to tell women seeking abortion care that life begins at conception and that a fetus probably feels pain.

The Indiana Right to Life Political Action Committee said Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton, R-Columbus, refused to ensure that a floor vote on the bill was taken before midnight on March 14, the deadline for the 2006 session to end.
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"Since the end of the session, much finger-pointing has occurred to try to shift the blame for the defeat of this legislation, but the buck stops with Senator Garton," said Mike Fichter, PAC chairman of Indiana Right to Life.
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Fichter said Garton could have used his leadership position to bring that final version of the bill to a vote before the session ended.

Instead, Fichter said, Garton "went out of his way to placate a group of over one dozen moderates in the Republican Senate caucus to do everything within their power to kill this legislation."
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Garton ... said he was prepared to vote for it had time not run out on the session.

But somehow, the time for that sure thing of an "Aye" vote just never came.

And other issues near and dear to the hearts of Tony Perkins and his "Values Voters" haven't even gotten that far. Kansans for Life '