As the Bush Administration is struggling to justify the war in Iraq, I began to wonder exactly what the history books are going to say about Bush's presidency. Pondering that thought, it occurred to me that Bush's presidency will, in fact, be remembered for more than just the war in Iraq. What else is there, you may ask? It seems that many people have forgotten how President Bush was granted the opportunity to shape the ever-influential third branch of government -- the Supreme Court. With the death of William Rehnquist and the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, President Bush was able to appoint two conservative justices to the high Court.
Until early last week, the new court had not decided anything of significance that would allow the court to be labeled as "conservative." And then a 5-4 decision was handed down from the bench that solidified the new conservative direction of the court. In the midst of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, some of you may have missed the Court's latest decision, which ruled in favor of the ban on partial birth abortions that was passed by Congress back in 2003. This is first time the Court has ever placed a ban on how to perform an abortion, and is truly a victory for President Bush and the conservatives as this decision is the most significant ruling on abortion handed down by the Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade. If you ask me, it's about time.
The process of partial birth abortion is disturbing to even read about. To imagine that this sickening process was ever legal to begin with makes me cringe. To those of you unfamiliar with the process, allow me to explain. A fetus that is 20 weeks or older is partially extracted from the uterus at which time the baby's skull is cut or crushed before being fully delivered. It's dehumanizing enough to abort an embryo in the very early stages of pregnancy, but to "crush" or "cut" a baby's skull is borderline sadistic. I disagree with both procedures, but I find the latter to be revolting and inhumane.
Apart from certifying the Court as strict constructionist, this decision will also play a huge part in the upcoming presidential election. In my opinion, this ruling was a positive for the campaign of Hillary Clinton. Being a serious female candidate, Clinton can use this decision to aid in her campaign by reminding voters that she is a woman. It may seem obvious enough to suggest her femininity, but I don't think it would hurt her to say it a few more times. Liberal pro-choice advocates will no doubt be looking for serious retribution on pro-life conservatives.
Don't think this decision will only fire up the liberals. Conservatives now have a taste of victory in an area where victory seemed to be far out of reach. Roe v. Wade was once thought to be an untouchable precedent. Ah, how things have changed. Mitt Romney recently made a statement praising the Court's decisions in an obvious attempt to sway uneasy conservative voters in his direction. Romney's past views on abortion are not exactly certifiable. With this decision and his recent praise for it, perhaps he can convince conservative voters that he is, without a doubt, against abortion and undeniably pro-life.
I am sure that liberal groups across the country are up in arms. I can't figure out why they would be so upset. Even with the ban on partial birth abortions, there still remains an alternative method of aborting a child after the twelfth week. Not only that, but, according to Foxnews.com, about 90 percent of abortions are done before the twelfth week of pregnancy -- remaining unaffected by last week's decision.
What the Founding Fathers set up to be the least powerful branch of government has become one of the most powerful over time. This decision clearly demonstrates the importance of the president's power to appoint justices to the High Court. When O'Connor had occupied the seat of Alito, this ruling would probably have had a different outcome. The new Court has spoken -- it's time we listen up.
