If AOC and Warren Get Their Way, Be Prepared to See This Next Time You Visit a National Park
Just when you thought Democrats couldn’t get any nuttier, Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York floated the idea of establishing abortion facilities on federal lands. This could include the emergence of abortion clinics in national parks.
During a protest in New York City’s Union Square on the day of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the congresswoman said, “There are also actions at President Biden’s disposal that he can mobilize. I’ll start with the babiest of the babiest of baby steps: Open abortion clinics on federal lands in red states right now,” according to The Washington Examiner.
Kind of a ghoulish choice of words, but whatever.
AOC just called on Biden to open abortion clinics on federal lands “right now” pic.twitter.com/J1usul4XuU
— Jenna Amatulli (@ohheyjenna) June 25, 2022
– Restrain judicial review
– Expand the court
– Clinics on federal lands
– Expand education and access to Plan C
– Repeal Hyde
– Hold floor votes codifying Griswold, Obergefell, Lawrence, Loving, etc
– Vote on Escobar’s bill protecting clinicsWe can do it!
We can at least TRY— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 26, 2022
Vox explained the rationale behind using federal lands for clinics. “Because federal lands aren’t subject to states’ civil laws and there’s room to interpret criminal laws, clinics could theoretically establish themselves on places like military bases without having to deal with a state’s bans.”
The Vox article cites Khiara Bridges, the faculty director at UC Berkeley’s Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice, who said, “even though the land is inside the border of a state, it wouldn’t be governed by the laws of a state.”
It’s no surprise that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren supports this proposal as well.
In comments to The Washington Post’s Caroline Kitchener on Monday, Warren suggested the government could set up Planned Parenthood outposts on the edges of national parks. She told Kitchener, “They could put up tents, have trained personnel — and be there to help people who need it.”
Call me crazy, but how many women visiting national parks does Warren think would actually use such a facility?
I just spoke with @ewarren, who suggested the Biden administration establish Planned Parenthood outposts on the edges of national parks.
“They could put up tents, have trained personnel — and be there to help people who need it.”
“It’s time to declare a medical emergency.”
— Caroline Kitchener (@CAKitchener) June 27, 2022
Warren also called on the president to declare the Supreme Court’s decision a national medical emergency.
The senator said, “It’s time to declare a medical emergency. … The point is the acknowledgment of the emergency situation and the urgency of getting help out. People need help immediately.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre were far less enthusiastic than Ocasio-Cortez or Warren about such a scheme.
Asked about the proposal by CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview that aired on Monday, Harris downplayed it, replying, “I mean, it’s not right now what we are discussing.”
“I will say that when I think about what is happening in terms of the states, we have to also recognize, Dana, that we are 130-odd days away from an election, which is going to include Senate races, right? Part of the issue here is that the court has acted and now Congress needs to act,” Harris added.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre appeared to dismiss the idea as well, CNN reported.
Jean-Pierre said, “We understand the proposal is well-intentioned, but here’s the thing: It could actually put women and providers at risk. And importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees, as you look at the federal land, could be potentially — be prosecuted. And so this is, as we understand why they would put forward this proposal, there’s actually dangerous ramifications to doing this.”
So, this might be a bridge too far even for the White House.
The Democrats have staged a collective meltdown over the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last Friday. Party leaders and political pundits have called for everything from stacking the Court to abolishing it entirely. Some have called for the impeachment of the Court’s conservative justices, claiming they “lied” during their Senate confirmation hearings.
Speaking to the press in Madrid on Thursday, President Joe Biden sharply denounced the decision, calling it “outrageous” and “destabilizing.” He told reporters: “We have to change that decision by codifying Roe v. Wade. … And the way to do that is to make sure that Congress votes to do that. And if the filibuster gets in the way — it’s like voting rights — it should be we provide an exception for this — the exce — the — require an exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision.”
Fortunately, Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, whose votes would be essential to carving out an exception to the filibuster, have reiterated their opposition to doing so.
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