Anti-Abortion Laws: How They Gain Standing

Stanek’s writings are the gift that will keep on giving for years. As such, I’d like to share my commentary to Stanek’s comments over several days and construct a researched argument. This means, your weekend should be spent here because other than some grant writing I need to do during the days and my usual party girl evenings, I will be around this weekend.

Before we speak of Ms. Stanek’s words on a screen, we first need to talk about abortion law in the US. The conservatives have overtly and somewhat successfully been chipping away at abortion laws since the early 1990s. The specific changes to the laws are not necessarily important to this post. Germane is the understanding that the major change in the law has been the increasing willingness of Congress and the Court to disregard the health of pregnant women and the medical judgment of their physicians. Sigh.

We have to understand why Washington listens to Stanek or anyone for that matter on this very private medical matter. I believe there are three broad areas of reason that drive US abortion politics. (1) There is little doubt that a politician’s personal ideology affects his or her interests in the sponsorship and referral of initiatives. One’s party is pivotal to the personal ideology. (2) Externalities matter a great deal in politics. A vote in the House is the result of commonplace political concerns of legislators, such as public opinion and media commentary. As such, the work of politicians is driven by not only their image but their career. (3) Legislators are sensitive to their strategic opportunities in the House.

Where am I going with all of this? Stanek is a conduit of the right. While I am still unclear how her she gained standing, she has become a vocal mouthpiece for the right. This is evident in her daughter who does not appear to have the backing of a serious ivy league or particularly impressive credentials, but was a senior staff writer for George W. Bush. She, like her mother, has been given a space upon which to preach at World Net Daily and continues to further mom’s agenda.

What is striking about all of this is that this is how fundies rise to the top and affect legislation. Through nepotism and involvement in politics, anti-aborts are able to further their agenda. It does not matter whether they tell the truth. It does not matter that people like Kennedy and Alito have no business dictating physician’s profession. What does matter is that folks like Stanek have set the bar very high by spreading a wealth of false information that has brought the attention of the masses to create a political climate that is tolerant of these falsehoods. As such, folks like Stanek matter because she influences policy and debate.