Long Before Roe v Wade There were Fights for Abortion Rights


It's inspiring to read of people who put themselves in physical danger and subject to jail time defending the rights of others. One such woman is Pat Maginnis who did things in California no one else at the time dared to do. It was a time when there were laws against advertising abortion services.

Pat knew the constitution contained a right to free speech. When that right could be constrained by government was complicated but she had a hunch it did not limit her from spreading information about where and how to get an abortion. She handed out information about where to get abortions in many different locations. She was arrested and did a little jail time. Ultimately, she won the right to distribute information about available abortion services.

Maginnis wanted to be arrested so she always told local police where she would be distributing literature. She also gave classes teaching women methods of abortion that were safer than coat hangers. For a long time, police were wary of arresting her and hoped she would move on to another state. Finally, she was arrested went to court and won.

She is now in her nineties and still full of energy for women's right to abortion. Roe was the famous case but Maginnis set up the circumstances that led to that case.

The history of abortion has been one of men constantly trying to take away women's rights and women who were smarter than those men preventing that from happening. I don't expect that to change.

Comments

  1. tsmDecember 8, 2018 at 5:00 PM

    hello Jon, you are really a hoot. you tell me that I am obsessed with abortion: guess I am just another of those men "constantly" plotting to take away women's "rights". yet how many times have you posted abortion stories of one sort or another. talk about obsessed. Anyway, if you want to treat yourself to a really good abortion tale, I suggest that you lookup the story of Madame Restell. maybe you already know about her. but if you don't her life's story is really good reading. easy to find on the Internet. that said, I don't think that you will post this comment. I tried anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jon LindgrenDecember 8, 2018 at 8:32 PM

    "obsessed with abortion" Before the last Presidential election, I saw many people interviewed on TV who in various ways said the following, "That Trump guy is not a Christian, has no experience in government, has cheated on wives and lies whenever he speaks. But he has promised to appoint anti abortion judges. He gets my vote." That's what I call obsessed with abortion.

    ReplyDelete
  3. tsmDecember 9, 2018 at 10:00 AM

    Good way to deflect attention away from your own preoccupation with abortion. After all, I'll wager that you would have been an enthusiastic Trumper supporter if he had been pro-abortion and running against an ardent pro-lifer. Seriously, we may often have to hold our nose and vote for an imperfect candidate so long as he/she is "good" on issues that are of critical importance to us. Leftists are quite well known for doing just that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jon LindgrenDecember 9, 2018 at 11:59 AM

    Would I vote for a pro life democrat? I don't know. I can only address your issue of "obsession" . When millions in the religious community voted for Trump only because of his judge appointments, saying they disliked everything else about him, that is obsession.

    ReplyDelete
  5. tsmDecember 9, 2018 at 2:46 PM

    How about the coal miners in West Va? were they too "obsessed" ? Or the people that were upset about immigration? In this context, I think that obsession is the wrong word. Just voting for a flawed candidate (and they are all flawed in one way or another) based on an overriding principle: that would be a better way of expressing it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jon LindgrenDecember 9, 2018 at 3:48 PM

    "based on an overriding principle: That would be a better way of expressing it."

    No, based on a religious belief would be a better way of expressing it.

    ReplyDelete

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