Guarantees Women Can Travel to Other States

One of the peculiar things that has happened since Roe was overturned is states trying to stop women from leaving an anti abortion state for abortions. Texas has a vigilante law giving citizens a bounty for turning in women. Other states like Alabama have been passing laws requiring their own law enforcement to apprehend women and doctors. I could not understand why few were pointing to the commercial implications of banning the rights of people in one state to travel to any other state. The Republican Attorney General of Alabama is trying to ignore the legal rights to do business across state lines and claim women to make appointments for abortions then travel out of state to obtain them are engaged in a "conspiracy" to break Alabama laws. He has charged a woman and her doctor. 

I'm reminded of the history that eventually brought about our Constitution. As I recall, when what is now the U.S. was a group of colonies a problem came along about commerce between businesses in different colonies. George Washington was a celeb because he was considered the leading general in the War of Independence. He married a wealthy widow and had started several businesses based on their large property. He was frustrated with the tolls and fees that various colonies placed on goods entering their borders. Another prominent citizen, James Madison, came to Washington's farm and the two men visited about this problem. Other businesses, of course, also were frustrated by the border fees. 

From this visit, letters began to flow around the colonies and eventually a group of officials met in Philidelphia in the summer of 1787. That meeting is called the Constitutional Convention. While the topic was and remains complex, it is useful to remember its origin was free trade between the colonies and later the states.

This matter is now in the courts, and I do not see how restricting lawful citizens from crossing state line to do business can stand. This right has been reaffirmed several times. We have to remember usually it is not some moral issue that brings about attempts to restrict trade, it is usually a firm wanting monopoly power. Allowing it for moral and religious reasons opens the door to monopolies everywhere.

A lot of what happens everywhere is about shortages and surpluses. In the U.S., we have a surplus of people who want to control others. We have a shortage of people who believe they should stay out of other peoples' personal business.