Ex-plaintiff in landmark Roe v. Wade ruling asks case to be overturned
When I first heard this story yesterday, I passed it off, figuring it was someone's idea of a sick joke. Boy, was I ever mistaken, eh? Of course, the anti-choice folks may be thinking they now have the moral high ground, but Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe") has no legal standing in this case. In the end, then, this is just so much sound and fury, signifying nothing. You can't simply go back to the Supreme Court and say "My bad...can I have a mulligan here??"
DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- The former plaintiff known as "Jane Roe" in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion sought to have the case overturned in a motion filed Tuesday that asks the courts to consider new evidence that abortion hurts women.
Norma McCorvey, who joined the anti-abortion fight nearly 10 years ago and says she regrets her role in Roe v. Wade, said the Supreme Court's decision is no longer valid because scientific and anecdotal evidence that has come to light in the last 30 years has shown the negative effects of abortion.
"We're getting our babies back," a jubilant McCorvey said at a news conference while flanked by about 60 women, some who sobbed and held signs that read "I regret my abortion."
Sadly, McCorvey's statement is as facile as it is self-serving. Six of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices have acknowledged thate Roe is established legal precedent lacking any compelling reason to be overturned. And this "getting our babies back" insanity? (I suppose YOU are going to raise them, Ms. McCorvey?) It's not just a baby, it's an 18-year commitment. If you want to work towards a world where abortion is no longer necessary, fine. What you are advocating will only return women to the era of back-alley abortionists. Is that what you are after here? How many women will have to die to satisfy your sense of moral self-superiority?
McCorvey's self-righteous pronouncement proposes only to criminalize abortion, effectively dealing with the symptoms and not the real problem. This will allow McCorvey and her ilk to feel better about themselves and their moralizing, which is really what this all seems to be about. Norma McCorvey ought to be ashamed and embarrassed for allowing herself to be used in such a craven, unprincipled manner by anti-choice forces.
