Will abortion stay legal in DC?
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Anonymous
| With the hearings yesterday, there is a lot of talk about which states will outlaw abortion and which will keep it. Obviously DC's populace and government would want to preserve abortion rights, but what is Congress's role? Could a Republican congress ban abortion in DC if it's no longer protected by the Constitution? |
Anonymous
| Likely to stay legal. They can't revert the decision making to the people (states) and then have the federal government interfere with local lawmaking. But I wouldn;t put it past the partisan reublicans to try. |
Anonymous
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They will probably try, but as I understand it it would be very difficult.
Murder is usually not a federal crime, but a state crime. -Not a lawyer |
Anonymous
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OP here. The point is that DC is NOT a state. The Constitution explicitly gives Congress authority over all of DC's affairs. In the past, Congress has prohibited DC from allowing taxpayer funds to be used to fund abortions, for example. So the question is, when abortion is no longer a constitutional right, won't a Republican Congress ban abortion in DC as soon as it can?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_home_rule#:~:text=%20District%20of%20Columbia%20home%20rule%20is%20District,and%20exercises%20greater%20oversight%20of%20the%20city%20than |
Anonymous
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The Mississippi law doesn't ban abortions; just abortion after 15 weeks. The Supreme Court looks likely to let states implement abortion laws "as the people wish." Which means, essentially, "as the state legislature wishes."
It's a contradiction for lawmakers to claim that states should decide, but also that Congress should intervene. Would not be the first Republican hyprocrisy, but it would be counter to their main arguments. |
Anonymous
Seems likely to me. |
Anonymous
The GOP will definitely try to ban or restrict it in DC. Fortunately, we live close to two states where it will reliably remain legal. |
Anonymous
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Stop being chicken little.
It is all hysterical hype to think anything will change in DC. |
Anonymous
VA doesn't seem so reliable. Agree on MD though |
Anonymous
No it isn't. There is no reason to think a Republican Congress wouldn't take steps to restrict abortion in DC. They have done it before, and can do it to a greater extent if/when Roe is gone. |
jsteele
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Why would you say that? Congress interferes in District affairs all the time. Unfortunately, national Democrats often see DC as little more than a bargaining chip. When John Boehner and Barack Obama were negotiating on the budget, Obama famously said, "John, I’ll give you D.C. abortion" in order to get other concessions. Democrats don't really lose any votes by sacrificing DC. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2011/04/15/AFb0T5qD_story.html Also, were you one of those calling us "chicken littles" during the Kavanaugh and ACB hearings because you were sure Roe v. Wade would always be safe? |
Anonymous
Every time there's a Republican majority in Congress, they ban DC from spending DC's money on abortion funding. So I don't know where you're getting "chicken little" and "hysterical [sic] hype" from. |
Anonymous
| DC cannot afford to ban abortion. |
Anonymous
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Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Under the Home Rule Act, Congress has the right to reject any laws passed by the DC Council -- not to pass any law it wants specifically targeting DC. I've honestly never heard anyone outside of this forum -- and certainly no one in the DC government -- express concern that if Roe v Wade is overturned Congress can turn around and pass a law banning all abortions in DC. |
Anonymous
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Here's a pretty good article on the subject, although I hate the magazine ha ha.
https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/09/02/what-happens-without-roe-dc-maryland-virginia/ |