Pro-lifers: Abortion = Slavery

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From Colorlines:

Now a cell of this national movement called Personhood Mississippi is using the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857 to convince Mississippi voters to outlaw abortion in the state via a November 9th ballot initiative called Amendment 26.

As we all (hopefully) know, Dred Scott was an enslaved African-American who sued his so-called master for his freedom. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Scott and every other black person in this country had no right to sue in federal court because his blackness made him a non-citizen.

The Dred Scott decision is one of the purest examples of structural racism in U.S. history: A person of color is “owned” by a white person. That person tries to use the high court to get free. The high court says, “You’re black and therefore not a citizen. Kick rocks.” Case closed until the post-Civil War 14th Amendment establishes birthright citizenship.

Full article here.

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  • Anonymous

    As a person of color, the GOP tactic of comparing abortion to slavery is very offensive. Roe vs. Wade is about choice, whereas, slavery was about human beings who were deprived of the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to be enslaved or not. There is a major difference, but having lived in the South my entire life, I have come to expect the unexpected from the GOPers. Their main focus is on control, choice be damned.

    • Anonymous

      well said majii. the comparison is vile and abhorrent.

  • b cole

    I have what’s probably a naive question about Dred Scott: why was that ruling never overturned? I realize it’s more or less obviated by subsequent actions (e.g. 14th amendment), but wouldn’t it make sense simply on principle? Or would The Court look on that as a waste of its time?