Woman Behind North Dakota’s Abortion Ban Hates Abortion Because Hitler . .something
In previous sessions, Grande has introduced other bills opposing abortion, as well as ones returning tuition to college students if their instructors don’t speak English “with good pronunciation,” tightening restrictions on prostitution, combatting “corrupt” election practices, barring kids from using tanning salons, celebrating nuclear energy, and, of course, naming February 6 as “Ronald Reagan Day.”
A profile of Grande earlier this month identified her as a “a family woman with a broad background and a strong Christian faith,” which may not surprise you. Her rationale for the abortion proposals might:
The issues hit close to her, she said, having relatives with children born with a genetic abnormality and seeing an increase in discrimination toward individuals with Down syndrome and other genetic issues.
“It takes you back to Hitler, and we know where that went,” she said. “He started going after those with abnormalities, and I think it’s an absurdity we would go back to that kind of thing.”
The bills that passed on Friday go to Republican Governor Jack Dalrymple for his signature. Dalrymple recently signed a law extending the waiting period before having an abortion, suggesting to many that these bills will also meet with his approval. The Washington Post indicates that his doing so would mark a new stage in the fight over abortion.
The more aggressive wing of the antiabortion movement up until now, has had difficulty gaining traction with it’s “all-or-nothing” approach. A slew of proposed bills to declare life as beginning at conception all failed, most notably in deep red Mississippi.
In 2013, however, they appear to be taking hold.
That may be exactly the point. “Some supporters of the so-called fetal heartbeat measure have said they hope to send a message that North Dakota is anti-abortion,” writes the Associated Press. Mission accomplished. And happy belated Ronald Reagan Day.