Abortion and the Supreme Court

President Donald Trump will unveil his second Supreme Court pick Monday night at 9PM ET. On the shortlist are Brett Kavanaugh, Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett. One of these people will replace 81-year-old Justice Anthony Kennedy, who will be retiring at the end of July. Democrats will raise issues with any of Trump’s possible candidates, but what is their biggest concern? Bill says it’s the possibility of overturning Roe V. Wade.

The History of Abortion

During the colonial period, the legality of abortion varied from colony to colony and reflected the attitude of the European country which controlled the specific colony. From 1776 until the mid-1800s, abortion was viewed as socially unacceptable. However, abortions were not illegal in most states. When the United States first became independent, most states applied English common law to abortion. This meant it was not permitted after ‘quickening,’ or the start of fetal movements, usually felt 15–20 weeks after conception. 

The concept of ‘quickening’ led to the common law rule originated by Edward Coke and stated by William Blackstone that "life... begins in contemplation of law as soon as the infant is able to stir in the mother's womb" and that the act of abortion came only after ‘quickening.’ This notion was based upon St. Augustine's belief that the human embryo was inanimate for an indeterminable period of time after conception, but then became animate, after which the destruction of the embryo was murder and punishable by death. An exception to the rule forbidding abortion after quickening developed rapidly in the common law; if the abortion was done in order to save the life of the woman, it could be done at any period of the gestation, it was not deemed criminal and therefore it was not punishable at common law. 

The earliest anti-abortion laws were intended to protect women from untrained abortionists. Records indicate abortions occurred unregulated during the 1800s, and the number of deaths caused by complications from illegal and unsafe abortions is impossible to determine. By the end on the 19th century, abortion was criminalized. 

On January 22, 1973, Roe V. Wade was decided. Justice Harry Blackmun wrote the Court's opinion. The Court ruled 7–2 that a right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that this right must be balanced against the state's interests in regulating abortions: protecting women's health and protecting the potentiality of human life. 

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992, the Court held that states cannot enact laws that put an “undue burden” on women seeking an abortion. The opinion, authored in part by Justice Kennedy, said there is an undue burden when “a state regulation has the purpose or effect of placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion.” 

Students Hate Trump’s SCOTUS Pick…Before He Made It

Campus Reform headed to New York University last week to ask students what they thought about who Trump had chosen to replace Justice Kennedy. Despite the fact that Trump’s decision was still days away from being finalized, students unanimously condemned Trump’s move, harshly criticizing the president’s nonexistent nominee.  

“He’s quite extreme in his views,” said one student of the fictitious Judge. “I saw it all over the news, that he’s like racist,” another student added, referring to the announcement that hadn’t yet happened. “I saw the new nominee is like racist, and he’s starting a new wave of something very negative, and I’m really scared about the future and what choices he will make,” another pupil added. When asked if she’d seen the online coverage of the event, one faculty member described witnessing “outrage… as it should be.”

Trump’s Trip to Europe

President Trump will be departing Tuesday, July 10 for his 7-day long visit to Europe. He will return the night of July 16 after his summit with Russia. 

The first stop on the trip will be Brussels, the site of President Trump’s second NATO summit. In Brussels, Trump will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg before participating in high-level sessions with the 28 allies on Wednesday. The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, said the meetings would focus on NATO’s mission of countering Russia. 

President Trump is set to visit the United Kingdom on Thursday after nearly six months of missed opportunities, scheduling conflicts and speculation about the state of the “special relationship.” While in England, Trump will be attending a black-tie business dinner at Blenheim Palace. This will be followed by working meetings with Prime Minister Theresa May at her country home at Chequers and a tea-time visit with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. 

President Trump’s schedule includes a weekend getaway at a Trump-owned golf course in Scotland, Trump Turnberry in Ayshire. There are no official events on the schedule but the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain Woody Johnson said Trump would “spend some time preparing for Helsinki.” 

The Trump- Putin summit will be taking place in Helsinki on Monday, July 16. Trump’s first meeting while in Helsinki will be with the host, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. President Trump will then have three back-to-back sessions with Vladimir Putin, with only translators and note-takers. Lastly, there will be a larger meeting with advisers and then a working lunch.

Key Info about NATO

The U.S. accounted for 51.1 percent of NATO's combined GDP and 71.7 percent of its combined defense expenditure. The U.S. contributed more funds to NATO than Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Canada combined. In 2017 the U.S. spent $685.9 billion on defense.

As of June 2017, NATO’s most recent estimate, only six nations met the 2 percent target: The United States, Greece, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Poland and Romania.

Texas Property Owners Receive Notices about Surveying Land for Border Wall

Property owners living in Texas along the U.S.–Mexico border have reportedly been getting notices from the federal government asking to survey their land for potential border wall construction. 

Some homeowners in the area say the government is only offering them a fraction of the land's actual value. Roma, Texas, resident, 81-year-old Felix Rodriguez, said a government employee offered him $300 for part of his 500-square-foot property. Rodriquez said he is asking at least $1,500 for the segment. The section of this property the government is interested in is an overgrown weedy lot that leads to the river and is separated by a chain-link fence in his back yard. 

Noel Escobar, who is the Mayor of the City of Escobares located in Starr County, Texas, said he and his neighbors received letters from the Army Corps of Engineers and Customs and Border Protection a few weeks ago to get their consent to survey their land. “I walk out the back door and what I’m going to see is a 30-foot fence,” Escobar said. 

The region’s congressman, Democrat Henry Cuellar, said CBP told him there have been over 200 of these requests made in Starr and Hidalgo counties. For those worried about a government land grab, he suggested that you not sign anything without asking questions.

Mail Time!

• Does anyone seem panicked that Hillary Clinton might be organizing to run again in 2020. This time she just might get the crooked thing down for the finish. Do you think that she will? 

• The social civil war is tiring. Will it end? How? Will we all just get fed up with all the hate and name-calling? Dumb questions because I know there is no utopia, people have to be different, but do we have to be mean about it? 

• Bill - I loved the July 4 monologue. I found it helpful to hear about similar national divides from the past - fighting for our independence and the issue of slavery. You provided the thinking/rationale for folks on both sides of these issues. I can understand the logic. You also provided a great description of the two sides today - the far left and the traditionalists. But I’m confused on the why. Tell me why the left wants what it wants?

Word of the Day: Rapscallion