Challenge to South Dakota Abortion Law Begins

For the record, I plan on following this legislation as far as it goes.

Also for the record, Kate Looby is comedy gold:

"But officials with Planned Parenthood, which operates the only clinics in South Dakota that provide abortions, said a lawsuit may not be filed immediately.

"Instead, abortion rights supporters may try to take the issue before South Dakota voters in November. State law allows ballot referendums seeking to overturn legislation.

"'When you take things to the courts you don't have the opportunity to engage the public in the process. You don't have the ability to build a movement,' said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kate Looby."

That's pretty rich, considering that Roe v. Wade is the antithesis of "engaging the public in the process." One of the biggest conservative complaints about Roe is that it took the whole issue out of democratic hands by judicial fiat, rendering all but nine Americans utterly powerless on an emotionally charged issue. And Judge Rehnquist, dissenting Roe, attached an extensive list of state statutes -- all enacted by the will of the people and in effect for decades at the time -- that were arbitrarily swept aside by seven judges.

Engage the public in the process? I wonder why Looby is so concerned with that, all of a sudden, given that the mantra of the pro-choice movement for the past forty years has been "F%$k the public, we want our mother-f#*king consequenfce-free sex, G*# D&*$ IT!" Ahem. Pardon my French.