America's Taliban, triumphant

Well, it's finally happening. As the New York Times reports today, forced pregnancy is now the law of the land in South Dakota. Next up: Mississippi and Indiana, both of which are considering similar laws. Women across America had better wake up to the fact that their personal autonomy is up for grabs.

The truly sad thing about this law is that it is as apt to disappoint its supporters – both the few who are genuinely 'pro-life' and the far larger mass who simply prefer a state of affairs where sexuality and reproduction are closely regulated by the state so as to deter 'loose living'. As the Times also notes today, the previous right-wing tactic of pushing parental notification laws has foundered in practice, and it's likely this new law will not achieve its stated goal of enforcing pregnancy equally upon all. The Times article lays out why the previous effort failed:

[S]ome workers and doctors at abortion clinics said that the laws had little connection with the real lives of most teenagers, and that they more often saw parents pressing their daughters to have abortions than trying to stop them. And many teenagers say they never considered hiding their pregnancies or abortion plans from their mothers.

"I would have told my mother anyway," said a 16-year-old named Nicole, who waited recently at a clinic in Allentown, Pa., a state that requires minors to get the permission of just one parent. Nicole's mother and father are divorced, and it was her mother she went to for permission to have an abortion.

"She was the first person I called," Nicole said. "She's like a best friend to me."

In short, the prevailing right-wing view – that hordes of horny teenagers were out there getting laid constantly, wanton little sluts that they are, and that daddy's – or the government's – stern hand would rein in the loose morals, was inadequate to the actual situation on the ground. It does defy logic that any responsible parent, no matter what his or her beliefs, would force a school-age teenager to drop out of school and the rat race to start washing diapers. Perhaps America's Taliban need a refresher course in how the country actually works.

Well, they're about to get one. One of these days, some reactionary legislator is going to have to explain to a rape victim, or a victim of incest, why she needs to have that baby, on camera. That'll make for some pretty compelling footage. The Taliban are digging their own electoral grave.