A lot has been written about today’s oral argument in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the mifepristone case that was argued in the Supreme Court this morning. Most of the pundits viewed the Court as skeptical about standing—the technical legal issue we discussed at the outset of this case, which requires a party to have suffered an injury that the courts have the capacity to redress before they can bring a lawsuit.
In no circumstance does a L&D doc show up to the OR, scrubs, not knowing the patient took the drug.
Patient shows up to ER. ER doc evaluates & treats symptoms…I.e. bleeding. She calls OBGYN upstairs. Gives report. If Ob thinks D&C is necessary, she call OR.
To say that someone in emergency situation can’t conscientiously object beforehand is absurd.
Alito said same…ER doc objects but is only one who can treat.
Exactly - thank you Steve. It is the very same case of showing up to the hospital with a broken clavicle. The ER doctor does not do the surgery for the broken clavicle bone. They call in the.ortho.
Yes in 1985 I showed up at the ER having almost bled to death internally from an ectopic pregnancy (not recognizing that I was six weeks pregnant or what was wrong for many hours). Did the ER doc do the surgery? Heck no they called the crusty old surgeon, a guy who looked at me like he didn’t expect me to live. I asked him to check the blood for AIDS and give me a bikini cut. Obviously I did survive but after I woke up the surgeon huffed, “I didn’t have TIME to give you a bikini cut!” I just wonder if in today’s world they might have just let me pass on out of fear of being prosecuted. Just steams the hell out of me!
In 1991 I was about to get on the first of three horses I needed to ride that day after work, but the pain in my abdomen made me decide something was wrong and I went to the ER. The wise surgeon immediately scheduled surgery and told me the ectopic pregnancy had very nearly ruptured and had I ridden that day, alone, I would likely have died. Four years later that same doc delivered a baby conceived via IVF.
She became a firefighter ( and animal lover).
These people really need to mind their own business.
Jen, I was not intending to brand my surgeon a "stupid man." He literally saved my life. I had lost half my body's blood. I think he was very surprised as was I that I was chatting away before the surgery and was not unconscious or in shock. And, Jen, to my surprise, I was able to conceive two years later and delivered our son who is now a software engineer in his mid-30s with children of his own! I did undergo IVF-GIFT two years after he was born in an effort to have a second child but it was unsuccessful. So you and I have been around the block and have hands-on experience for our opinions. That IVF opinion in Alabama was so horrendous that even the Republicans won't touch the issue with a 10-foot pole!
I picked up on your joke- said, in my mind, with a sense of respect and caring. I love crusty old guys (and, in my case, crusty old broad with a medical degree) because that crustiness likely developed to let them do good things in difficult situations. Thank you for your story-and your explanation.
Thanks for your comment. It takes a special kind of skill, which is why I went to law school instead of med school. If I recall correctly, I’m pretty sure that this guy had been a military surgeon in the past, which made him uniquely qualified to dig in and save my life.
I'm so sorry that you had to go through such a nightmare. I also wonder what they'd do nowadays if the same thing were to happen. I think our only salvation for women trying to survive in a "men's only" world is that we make sure Biden wins.
p.s. Laura, just reading your story "steams the hell out of me," too.
Laura, He was heartless. He probably did not have the skill for a bik cut. And I am glad you survived to join us here with purpose💙 Your knowledge is important to our crusade. But he indeed was a jerk.
Valere, I think you misunderstand how close I was to leaving this world. Like many women with fertility issues, I could not fathom I was pregnant and had lost half my body’s blood, bleeding internally. I believe the outcome would have been different in a lesser surgeon’s hands. And while they indeed checked the blood I received for AIDS, in 1985 they were not checking the blood for Hep C. But that’s another story.
I’m sorry - I did misunderstand. I’m glad the doctor understood your condition. Indeed, you were lucky to be in his hands. When I read it, I thought he simply didn’t care about the cut. But I’m glad you had the best emergency intervention.!
In an urban area. In a rural area, you drive a long ways to see the ortho a week later, if you’re poor. If you’re really poor, you stay home. If you’re well-off, you don’t stop at the local ER, and keep going to see the ortho In a different county.
In rural areas, at Critical Access Hospitals, there is often no OB or FP or even Peds to take a newborn. Yeah, that’s another disaster waiting to happen.
What’s worse is when cults like Adventist assert their healthcare monopoly over rural areas and put these women at risk in the first place. Bigoted Faith-based healthcare must stop receiving and Federal funding.
What are you talking about? The ER doc doesn’t go back and do surgery—a surgeon is called in. Even at rural hospitals. Otherwise, when possible, they transfer the patient to a facility capable of addressing the care.
I’m talking about healthcare in rural areas, and sorry to disappoint you, I’ve worked as a physician at a rural Critical Access Hospital for over 15 years. Sometimes, the ambulance can’t drive, or they’re both out. Many times the choppers can’t fly in the weather. Yes, rural ER docs stabilize as much as possible, yes they do deliver babies, no they don’t surgery per se, and hopefully people don’t die much. These docs are heroes. The post-Roe world is making their jobs more harrowing, not less. Defund faith-biased healthcare now.
Your’re right. With all the decisions being made about abortion or any gynecological care for that matter being made by judges in red states, women’s care providers are moving out of these areas of badly needed care in fear of their professions either from lawsuits or prosecution.
Elections have consequences and now we are experiencing those very consequences. We need more Ketanji Brown Jacksons throughout our court system. Democratic presidents see to it that such judges get appointed. Republicans don’t.
Well, that’s the point. But the ER docs aren’t doing the surgery, and in the case of an ectopic with an unstable patient, A SURGEON—a general surgeon—if a specialized physician isn’t available—will do the surgery.
You are not the only one with experience in transferrals from rural hospitals.
Not transfers from rural hospitals, but actually working in them. Big difference. And please chill your all caps unless you intend to be yelling. This Substack is Civil Discourse.
Spare me. Whatever. I’m familiar with both, and so is my husband who founded a maternal-fetal medicine department, the second largest in the country with actually-practicing OBs (not just consultants), and one of the first to be accredited as a Women’s Hospital: It has a large cachement area—with outreach—to rural areas of the Midwest. He has trained OB’s who work at rural hospitals in rural areas. If you want to argue, spare us all the BS re: capitalized letters and stick to expressing yourself clearly so that others can understand what you are trying to say.
Northern Cal—you don’t know rural until you’ve practiced in places like Lewis Co., NY or the Midwest., Honey.
Why in general I don’t go to religiously affiliated medical groups or hospitals. I recently had surgery at a Catholic institution (best local 0lace for my condition) but I wasn’t having fertility or pregnancy issues.
In very rural areas, as with most of true Northern California, patients have no choice. Not sure why this is legal. The rich can and do travel away. The poor are coerced. I drive 50 miles to see a non-faith based provider. There are no secular hospitals in this entire very large county.
I made that clear: No, a lot of rural hospitals don’t have subspecialized physicians on-call. They DO have general surgeons and an ER doc doesn’t do the surgery. OK? If a transfer is STABLE ENOUGH TO BE accepted, then moving the patient to a higher level hospital is done. In an acute emergency with active bleeding (and many rural hospitals don’t keep enough blood on hand. . . That’s another story), a General Surgeon would brought in.
As for your experience: You are not the only one familiar with OB emergencies and transfers.
You don’t like it, don’t read it. I think you are pompous and arrogant, and I’m ready to block you. Yes, that’s what I will do. You aren’t here to discuss; you are here to show off. Well, I’m not impressed. And where I come from, You are not anything special.
Civil. Discourse. I was here simply to respond to your post, which I found misleading, and especially for those readers who do not have the benefit of first-hand knowledge. That’s not showing off. I think we all know who is attempting to “show off” here.
Doesnt this make you think that these plaintiffs have watched too many "medical" shows on tv? Frankly, sounds as though these "doctors" havent even completed their training!
I understand your statement. As a retired X-ray technologist I had to quit watching medical shows because of the lousy films they’d show hanging in an “exam room”. When you know better, it’s difficult to listen to ignorance.
I am hoping that with a good majority of Democrats in Congress and Biden back in the White House, judges like Kacsmaryk get impeached, or investigaged by the justice department. I feel that the Supreme Court is also becoming more aware of the fragileness of their position if they go too far here, because of things like Marilyn Lands (D-AL) winning in a special election by campaigning in reproductive rights. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marilyn-lands-alabama-special-election-abortion/
Anyone think they will now "find" a dozen or so young women willing to be "martyrs", give them each mifepristone--together with a lethal dose of e-coli--and claim it was the drug that made them sick?--all medical expenses to be paid by sympathetic docs, of course.
This case should never have been argued in front of the Supreme Court. What other FDA approved drug has ever been determined by the Supreme Court to be safe for people to use? Example please. It's like the Fani Willis issue in Georgia. That belonged on the desk of the HR Department : What's the policy on inter-collegue relationships? Surely not for a judge to have to decide. There is this creaping government involment in the lives of people as if government intervention/approval is always required. This is very worrisome and disconcerting. Vote BLUE!
These cases were brought mostly to re-elect Trump and prevent him from being convicted and losing power, money, etc. The cases are about persuading voters, not protecting principles or people.
Unless of course you own a corporation, then the mantra is get rid of these regulations and deep state regulators! We can pollute and decimate and you guvment people need to leave us alone.
Reagan was the worst president with the slick demeanor of a father figure who could do no wrong, when in fact he was the start of serious efforts to upend government by the people, for the people. I refer to him as the “mythical Ronald Reagan.”
John, if only Reagan were mythical. You are so right to name him as the start of what we are dealing with now. When we got Trump, we were just starting to get past the damage done by Reagan and advanced by the Bushes. Yet there are still people who think Reagan was a good president.
I am sickened knowing how long it might take to repair the damage we still have to deal with as a result of Trump and his willingness to be the front man for the people trying to tear our country apart. I am not going to live long enough to breathe easy on that, but I hope my grandchildren will. I'm doing what I can to help lay a foundation for change, and grateful for all the people who are doing the same.
OMG you think Reagan is worth quoting here? He was one of the worst presidents n history, and he's the backbone of the corrupt neofascist modern day GOP.
The problem is that we are a litigious society. I worked in state Supreme Court for over 10 years, and my cases ballooned over that time period because people think their first recourse is to sue. Of course, most lawyers don't mind collecting those fees and billing by the hour, especially when they're sitting for hours waiting to go in front of a judge.
It’s mind blowing that we’re even at this point. I marched for women’s lib in the early 70s. Access to safe abortions was tops, and being able to get my own credit without having to have a male co-signer was a close second. And now it feels like it was all for nothing. But I know it wasn’t. At 14 yrs old I watched my cousins best friend die from hemorrhaging after a back alley abortion. So I’m going to be working the polls in AZ this election. I’ve survived a lot of trauma in my 68 years, just like most of us. They don’t scare me.
You're not kidding, Karen. I have done the same, and remember the throngs of protesters around the Bill Baird clinic in N.Y. trying to stop me from accessing entry into the clinic, grabbing and screaming like animals, (actually, my apologies to animals) not a moments concern that the alternative was the back alley or a coat hanger abortion almost guaranteeing death. So much for those who profess their 'pro-life' status.
I am working the polls this year as well, and those people don't scare me either. I commend you, and I hope women everywhere don't take this crap lying down.
Thank You Karen! I commend you for working the polls in AZ as I know there's been a lot of harassment to our poll workers. (If I wasn't almost a decade older than you, I would be too.) I, too, remember well those days of old and how awful it was for young women.
❤️ I pretend to be brave. The really brave women are the ones who came before us and fought for all our rights, were arrested, and physically assaulted and abused. I’m tired of women being treated like second class citizens.
I doubt that the negligent and disinterested Trump had anything to do with Kacsmaryk’s nomination. Look no further than the Federalist Society or similar right-wing organizations that put names of those who support their causes before the right people for nomination and approval..
Yes. Did the apparently credulous and naive Murkowski, now singing the blues about being "duped" by a "bait and switch," not realize, even after a parade of ultra-conservative judicial nominations in the last several years, that any nomination coming out of the White House would obviously be driven by the Federalist Society? Even apart from that, could she not see the huge, flashing signs saying "Extremist" and "Religious zealot" hanging off Kacszmaryk? Does she really think she can take any presentation put forward by an ultra-conservative with an ideological axe to grind at face value?
None are so blind as those who will not see. Maybe now she will start to realize that nothing is as it seems, most people lie at least a little bit from time to time, and ultra-conservatives who seek not to govern but to dominate lie openly and constantly and will stop at nothing to gain their ends.
For sure (that Dems deserve some of the blame). I jumped on Murkowski because her sour, off-key whining as quoted in JVW's post struck my ear so hard. (I didn't see the source Politico article.)
I believe that is the importance Joyce refered to when electing a President. They nominate the names handed to them. Someone like Biden would not accept those names after checking them out.
Donnie would never think of something so logical and important, such as checking out would-be appointees. He'd rather find out what they will do FOR HIM. Period.
Yes, but that is the point. Trump’s only role was to be president and allow The Federalist Society to hand him a “to do” list of reprehensible and unqualified appointees that he passed along to an enabling Senate headed by Mitch McConnell.
We cannot let the man get anywhere near the White House again!!! Take note, for example, that the Project 2025 source, as I understand it, is The Federalist Society. Need I write more? We don’t need a president who carries out the work of The Federalist Society and Vladimir Putin or Viktor Orban. A true dystopian horror show.
He’s from Amarillo, Tx—a place of sanctimonious ignorance and a sense of Nat-C superiority. He didn’t need prodding from anyone. He was out to make a name for himself.
It’s bumfuck Texas—if you spend any time there, it will make your skin crawl.
I concur with Prelogar's stated position; no injury, no standing then remand with an Order to dismiss.
I am OK with that result but, such a resolution does not reach the stark facts that case was fabricated by a clique of 5 anti-women's health care doctors not residing in the single assignment jurisdiction with hypothetical patients with hypothetical injuries. In short, fraudulent jurisprudence.
Thank you Sheila Strand. I want to share some very good 'Special Election' result in there ace for the Alabama STATE House of Representatives in red, red District 10.
And, the Winner is ... Democrat, MARILYN LANDS 🎯 Marilyn campaigned full force on the entire spectrum of Women's Health rights & hammered the 'IVF' decision fo support Alabama women & their families.
District 10 Voters gave MARILYN a Landslide of 26% well over her opponent !
Thanks for sharing that, Bryan. She may very well be the harbinger of some real change, according to some people I know from Alabama. They say it will take time, but there are real signs for optimism.
I agree Annie & see that Professor Joyce Vance has knowledge of personal details & real communication between folks in District 10 detailed in her Civil Discourse Substack tonight.
I wonder how the men opposing women's reproductive rights would react if a judge decided that a man could be hurt if his Viagra-inspired erection lasted too long and ordered a ban on Viagra and similar medications.
I remind myself that humans made it out of the caves, so we can probably survive misogynists like Trump, Alito, and Kacsmaryk.
IMO this should be dismissed. Are any of the judges scientists?They should stay in their lane and let the FDA do their job. Hopefully, the decision will come soon.
I can picture Dr. Birx squirming in her chair as Doctor Trump talked about the treatments he himself developed to help COVID-19 patients. Worse than that was the horrible disrespect he had towards Dr. Fauci.
Too bad the pretend doctor at Walter Reed didn't go with the treatments suggested by his patient Doctor Trump. Had he done that, none of us would have to be hearing that name day after day after day, ad nauseum.
Trump White House pharmacy improperly provided drugs and misused funds, Pentagon report sayshttps://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-white-house-pharmacy-improperly-provided-drugs-misused-funds-pentagon-2024-01-28/
I never knew about that, but I'm not surprised at all.
Thanks for forwarding this link. I'm going to check it out as soon as I can. But not right now because I just finished eating lunch and something tells me that I shouldn't do it on a full stomach!
Was Ronny Jackson even an MD? Was he demoted before or after he performed "the miracle of the century" with Trump?
Considering how many had already died from COVID because of his depraved indifference, seeing Trump riding down Wisconsin Avenue in that farce of a parade made my blood boil. I felt like he insulted the friends and families of those who had passed away by "bragging" about how wonderful HE felt and how it sucked to be them. To me, his only purpose of that was to rub it in their faces. He also had to see his worshippers. I'm sure that if he had been in the hospital for something not contagious, he would have had the window down so everyone could kiss his ring.
If someone else were that sick, I think that the last thing they'd want to do would be forced to get in a car just to ride a block or two and turn around to go to the hospital. It didn't make sense.
Speaking of a sham, at first I thought that he wasn't even sick and was just faking COVID as a sympathy tactic until we watched him trying to catch his breath while going up all those steps. The first word that came to mind was KARMA.
Despite his close encounter with His Maker, he never would admit that he was wrong, and that Fauci and Birx, along with the CDC and scientists didn't know what they were talking about.
As they say, EVERYTHING that Trump touches dies. Every person with a job who touches Trump LOSES their job. . . .or SHOULD lose their job (Loose Cannon, for example).
"They should stay in their lane and let the FDA do their job."
The MAGA Right (via their pet judges) is steadily dismantling the capacity of federal agencies to do their job.
Their extreme ideological position is that it is Congress only that can make laws and regulations, and if the statute doesn't explicitly say that the FDA (or EPA, or BLM, and a hundred others) can do something, then they have no capacity to do it under regulations. No delegated authority.
They wish to drain the swamp back to the 19th Century.
Seems to me the ONLY reason the MAGA Right feel that congress is 'right', is because of the predominant number of red states. So it is ONLY because it would give them CONTROL, it has nothing to do with political philosophy or common law theory other than the growing representational proximity of congress to a white heterosexual patriarchal plutocratic (faithless) theocracy. Handmaidens do come to mind.
A President picks Federal Judges, some of whom determine our quality of life when they decide to legislate from the bench. It's outrageous, and I am still waiting to see how we can change the court via impeachment or by changing the laws which govern Justices. If no one is above the law, this must include the Supreme Court Justices. (And Senators who block nominees!) But this is exactly why we need to vote Blue all the way down the ticket. Our healthcare, our families, our democracy, and justice.
"Elect ME!! Though I will rule for a mere 4 years, (and then rule vicariously through my hold on the GOP thereafter,) I will stick y'all with judges and Justices who will affect your lives for a generation."
@ Deb Pierce McCabe. "how we can change the court?"
The predicate is to win. Please check out Field Team 6. To protect American democracy, reach out to millions of unregistered likely Democrats using a dedicated database using every outreach method possible (phone and text, postcard, email and targeted ad, and in-person too), where new Democratic voters will make the most impact – in the most flippable states and districts.
Great post, Joyce, thanks for taking the time to explain this entire case.
I still don't see why any judge, legislator, or person not trained, registered and licensed as a Medical Professional should have any right to write a specific law or finding regarding any and all medical procedures. Only health care professionals and their patients need be involved. If these stupid abortion laws are given standing anywhere, why not appendectomies, tonsilectomies. colonectomies and other procedures where parts of the body are removed for the health of the patient. Are they going to force a woman with breast cancer to keep her cancerous mammary glands (breasts) because an infant needs the milk? How about a man with testicular cancer? Should he have to keep his cancerous testes because they are the sperm producing organs required to fertilize the human ovule?
All laws regarding abortion are for one purpose and one purpose only, to control female Homo sapiens.
As to medical procedures, we have sufficient protection from medical malpractice laws.
Someone has to explain to me how any lawmakers any court has any standing in determining what a women does regarding her person health issues..
we need to enshrine women's rights once and for all by passing a federal law legalizing abortion and make it clear that government has no standing or right to control or legislate laws regarding personal health choices. Why
Because there is a loud, politically connected minority out there who tie their view of the world to "saving unborn babies", but in reality, demanding that sex needs to be controlled, especially in the case of women. And tying sex to procreation is a pretty good way to achieve patriarchal oversight ... especially if you have a religious bent.
"She cautioned the Court that a decision for the plaintiffs could impact the entire system of FDA drug approval, and could also prevent women who need mifepristone to save their lives from accessing it."
Aren't these two outcomes that the MAGA Right (headed up by Alito) want? Anyway - it's depressing that the case might be "won" by the government on a technical foul - lack of standing - rather than blasted for its over-reaching, anti-women, anti-medicine, bastardry.
Hypothetical email in the future to Judge Alito from his doctor.
Judge Alito,
I am sorry but that blood pressure medicine that I prescribed for you has not been working. We tested the sample of the medicine you provided. It is nothing more than aspirin.
Ever since you and your court eviscerated the FDA in 2025 there has been no one to monitor the quality of the drugs that are prescribed in the US.
Don't bother trying to get the drug from Canada or elsewhere. Trump's Executive Order prevents the transportation of drugs from other countries. Your Supreme Court approved it.
You might try suing the manufacturer of the drug, but the SC decision in 2027 pretty much means you will not win. Remember your "The manufacturer is always right" decision.
I'm sorry Judge but if you had let the FDA do its job, you might still have many more years to sit on the bench. But not any more.
Judge Kacsmaryk is such an embarrassment to the federal bench. He and Congressman Ronny Jackson, also from Amarillo, make a fine pair. You remember Ronny Jackson, the White House doc who said Trump would live to 200 (or some such ridiculous number) if he would improve his diet.
Tuberville, too. The only criterion for him to be elected was apparently being a successful college football coach. And don’t get me started on Herschel Walker - whew! Thank all our stars he lost!
Proud to report at least one part of Alabama- the northern part - elected a Democratic state representative Tuesday to replace a Republican removed for election fraud. Marilyn Lands campaigned on the issue of women’s autonomy and reproductive freedom and beat her opponent 2-1. I was skeptical of Lands’s internal polling showing abortion rights would win an election in deep Red Alabama. But this area is more purple than red.
Absolutely correct. He was not a successful college football coach, either at Auburn or at Texas Tech. He was hired at Texas Tech (my alma mater) to replace the late great Mike Leach, who was unceremoniously and unfairly fired. He did a terrible job. Tuberville left the Tech coaching job without informing people, by being a "no-show" at a recruiting event. No class!
Trump is selling Trump bibles for $59.99 to further appease the religious right. If he’s elected the FDA will be forced to do whatever he wants- Mifepristone availability may be saved by SCOTUS temporarily, but if Trump is elected the American judicial system will be irrelevant under his authoritarian rule. All government agencies like the FDA will do his bidding or else.
Trump’s version is King James that includes the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, some other historical documents and possibly (JK) a few chapters from Mein Kampf and Stalin.
The Internet is replete with archival comments Trump has made since 2015 revealing that he knows nothing about the Bible and cannot even cite one passage from it. He has, however, learned how to monetize his professed love of this book. Next, he will attempt to market his own very specially endorsed (and embossed with his name) edition of the Koran to the Muslims and the Talmud to the Jews, both of which he has undoubtedly be enamored with since childhood.
While he's at it, we can expect a new leather bound edition of his ghost-written "The Art of the Deal", which will be updated to include how to borrow money at the lowest interest rates and how to "cosmetically" adjust one's financial statements to maximize profits.
When extreme right-winger Justice Alito asked the Solicitor General during oral argument if he considered the FDA to be "infallible", while the Solicitor General deflected the question, it was clear that Alito was baiting her to give a negative response so that he himself could then overrule the medical profession and personally travel to Rome again to take another victory lap with the Pope, as he did after he led the Court in overruling Roe.
One need only look at the broad grin on his face to see the pride and glory he is basking in by leading the Court backwards to overturn all the social progress it has made in the last century.
It would be consistent with Alito's retro judicial philosophy to allow the states to re-instate the Salem witch trials.
They have no standing! That crank in Amarillo decreed that they had standing so that he could legislate from the bench. This nonsense needs to stop yesterday.
"The Judicial Conference adopted a new policy on Tuesday to combat judge shopping, implementing a random selection process for cases seeking state or nationwide injunctions."
Of course, McConnell and the republican senators were not happy.
Joyce,
Hawley lied.
In no circumstance does a L&D doc show up to the OR, scrubs, not knowing the patient took the drug.
Patient shows up to ER. ER doc evaluates & treats symptoms…I.e. bleeding. She calls OBGYN upstairs. Gives report. If Ob thinks D&C is necessary, she call OR.
To say that someone in emergency situation can’t conscientiously object beforehand is absurd.
Alito said same…ER doc objects but is only one who can treat.
ER DOCS DONT PERFORM D&C SURGERY
SHE CALLS L&D ON CALL
I wanted to scream listening to arguments!
Exactly - thank you Steve. It is the very same case of showing up to the hospital with a broken clavicle. The ER doctor does not do the surgery for the broken clavicle bone. They call in the.ortho.
Yes in 1985 I showed up at the ER having almost bled to death internally from an ectopic pregnancy (not recognizing that I was six weeks pregnant or what was wrong for many hours). Did the ER doc do the surgery? Heck no they called the crusty old surgeon, a guy who looked at me like he didn’t expect me to live. I asked him to check the blood for AIDS and give me a bikini cut. Obviously I did survive but after I woke up the surgeon huffed, “I didn’t have TIME to give you a bikini cut!” I just wonder if in today’s world they might have just let me pass on out of fear of being prosecuted. Just steams the hell out of me!
Horrible. I'm glad you survived this stupid man.
In 1991 I was about to get on the first of three horses I needed to ride that day after work, but the pain in my abdomen made me decide something was wrong and I went to the ER. The wise surgeon immediately scheduled surgery and told me the ectopic pregnancy had very nearly ruptured and had I ridden that day, alone, I would likely have died. Four years later that same doc delivered a baby conceived via IVF.
She became a firefighter ( and animal lover).
These people really need to mind their own business.
Jen, I was not intending to brand my surgeon a "stupid man." He literally saved my life. I had lost half my body's blood. I think he was very surprised as was I that I was chatting away before the surgery and was not unconscious or in shock. And, Jen, to my surprise, I was able to conceive two years later and delivered our son who is now a software engineer in his mid-30s with children of his own! I did undergo IVF-GIFT two years after he was born in an effort to have a second child but it was unsuccessful. So you and I have been around the block and have hands-on experience for our opinions. That IVF opinion in Alabama was so horrendous that even the Republicans won't touch the issue with a 10-foot pole!
I picked up on your joke- said, in my mind, with a sense of respect and caring. I love crusty old guys (and, in my case, crusty old broad with a medical degree) because that crustiness likely developed to let them do good things in difficult situations. Thank you for your story-and your explanation.
Thanks for your comment. It takes a special kind of skill, which is why I went to law school instead of med school. If I recall correctly, I’m pretty sure that this guy had been a military surgeon in the past, which made him uniquely qualified to dig in and save my life.
Very lucky, Jen - all the way around!
I'm so sorry that you had to go through such a nightmare. I also wonder what they'd do nowadays if the same thing were to happen. I think our only salvation for women trying to survive in a "men's only" world is that we make sure Biden wins.
p.s. Laura, just reading your story "steams the hell out of me," too.
You might get their thoughts and prayers as you bleed to death, "gawd's will be done".
And "abortion" has nothing to do with it!!!!!
Laura, He was heartless. He probably did not have the skill for a bik cut. And I am glad you survived to join us here with purpose💙 Your knowledge is important to our crusade. But he indeed was a jerk.
Valere, I think you misunderstand how close I was to leaving this world. Like many women with fertility issues, I could not fathom I was pregnant and had lost half my body’s blood, bleeding internally. I believe the outcome would have been different in a lesser surgeon’s hands. And while they indeed checked the blood I received for AIDS, in 1985 they were not checking the blood for Hep C. But that’s another story.
I’m sorry - I did misunderstand. I’m glad the doctor understood your condition. Indeed, you were lucky to be in his hands. When I read it, I thought he simply didn’t care about the cut. But I’m glad you had the best emergency intervention.!
In an urban area. In a rural area, you drive a long ways to see the ortho a week later, if you’re poor. If you’re really poor, you stay home. If you’re well-off, you don’t stop at the local ER, and keep going to see the ortho In a different county.
Sorry, not true.
In rural areas, at Critical Access Hospitals, there is often no OB or FP or even Peds to take a newborn. Yeah, that’s another disaster waiting to happen.
What’s worse is when cults like Adventist assert their healthcare monopoly over rural areas and put these women at risk in the first place. Bigoted Faith-based healthcare must stop receiving and Federal funding.
What are you talking about? The ER doc doesn’t go back and do surgery—a surgeon is called in. Even at rural hospitals. Otherwise, when possible, they transfer the patient to a facility capable of addressing the care.
I’m talking about healthcare in rural areas, and sorry to disappoint you, I’ve worked as a physician at a rural Critical Access Hospital for over 15 years. Sometimes, the ambulance can’t drive, or they’re both out. Many times the choppers can’t fly in the weather. Yes, rural ER docs stabilize as much as possible, yes they do deliver babies, no they don’t surgery per se, and hopefully people don’t die much. These docs are heroes. The post-Roe world is making their jobs more harrowing, not less. Defund faith-biased healthcare now.
Your’re right. With all the decisions being made about abortion or any gynecological care for that matter being made by judges in red states, women’s care providers are moving out of these areas of badly needed care in fear of their professions either from lawsuits or prosecution.
Elections have consequences and now we are experiencing those very consequences. We need more Ketanji Brown Jacksons throughout our court system. Democratic presidents see to it that such judges get appointed. Republicans don’t.
Grew up in a small town (8500 population.). The ER doc WAS the surgeon. If he'd had fundamentalist scruples, it could have been a problem.
Exactly. But if you work in a well-appointed tertiary care center, you know exactly how the rest of the world functions.
Well, that’s the point. But the ER docs aren’t doing the surgery, and in the case of an ectopic with an unstable patient, A SURGEON—a general surgeon—if a specialized physician isn’t available—will do the surgery.
You are not the only one with experience in transferrals from rural hospitals.
Not transfers from rural hospitals, but actually working in them. Big difference. And please chill your all caps unless you intend to be yelling. This Substack is Civil Discourse.
Spare me. Whatever. I’m familiar with both, and so is my husband who founded a maternal-fetal medicine department, the second largest in the country with actually-practicing OBs (not just consultants), and one of the first to be accredited as a Women’s Hospital: It has a large cachement area—with outreach—to rural areas of the Midwest. He has trained OB’s who work at rural hospitals in rural areas. If you want to argue, spare us all the BS re: capitalized letters and stick to expressing yourself clearly so that others can understand what you are trying to say.
Northern Cal—you don’t know rural until you’ve practiced in places like Lewis Co., NY or the Midwest., Honey.
Why in general I don’t go to religiously affiliated medical groups or hospitals. I recently had surgery at a Catholic institution (best local 0lace for my condition) but I wasn’t having fertility or pregnancy issues.
In very rural areas, as with most of true Northern California, patients have no choice. Not sure why this is legal. The rich can and do travel away. The poor are coerced. I drive 50 miles to see a non-faith based provider. There are no secular hospitals in this entire very large county.
Worse because Catholic institutions have a lot of rules and codes of ethics that survive sales or takeovers of their hospitals.
Even worse because "good" people still go there when they have other choices, probably because it didn't affect them personally. Like Jesus would do.
I made that clear: No, a lot of rural hospitals don’t have subspecialized physicians on-call. They DO have general surgeons and an ER doc doesn’t do the surgery. OK? If a transfer is STABLE ENOUGH TO BE accepted, then moving the patient to a higher level hospital is done. In an acute emergency with active bleeding (and many rural hospitals don’t keep enough blood on hand. . . That’s another story), a General Surgeon would brought in.
As for your experience: You are not the only one familiar with OB emergencies and transfers.
Enough of the yelling please
You don’t like it, don’t read it. I think you are pompous and arrogant, and I’m ready to block you. Yes, that’s what I will do. You aren’t here to discuss; you are here to show off. Well, I’m not impressed. And where I come from, You are not anything special.
Civil. Discourse. I was here simply to respond to your post, which I found misleading, and especially for those readers who do not have the benefit of first-hand knowledge. That’s not showing off. I think we all know who is attempting to “show off” here.
No more.
I purposely didn't watch because I knew I'd go ballistic.
Doesnt this make you think that these plaintiffs have watched too many "medical" shows on tv? Frankly, sounds as though these "doctors" havent even completed their training!
I understand your statement. As a retired X-ray technologist I had to quit watching medical shows because of the lousy films they’d show hanging in an “exam room”. When you know better, it’s difficult to listen to ignorance.
Once again, alternative facts…
I am hoping that with a good majority of Democrats in Congress and Biden back in the White House, judges like Kacsmaryk get impeached, or investigaged by the justice department. I feel that the Supreme Court is also becoming more aware of the fragileness of their position if they go too far here, because of things like Marilyn Lands (D-AL) winning in a special election by campaigning in reproductive rights. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marilyn-lands-alabama-special-election-abortion/
Anyone think they will now "find" a dozen or so young women willing to be "martyrs", give them each mifepristone--together with a lethal dose of e-coli--and claim it was the drug that made them sick?--all medical expenses to be paid by sympathetic docs, of course.
This case should never have been argued in front of the Supreme Court. What other FDA approved drug has ever been determined by the Supreme Court to be safe for people to use? Example please. It's like the Fani Willis issue in Georgia. That belonged on the desk of the HR Department : What's the policy on inter-collegue relationships? Surely not for a judge to have to decide. There is this creaping government involment in the lives of people as if government intervention/approval is always required. This is very worrisome and disconcerting. Vote BLUE!
These cases were brought mostly to re-elect Trump and prevent him from being convicted and losing power, money, etc. The cases are about persuading voters, not protecting principles or people.
Agreed, but there was also the not so subtle desire to control the female prosecutor, the case was not brought against Wade, a willing participant.
The thought of the power of the wealthy to work to reinstall this fascist for their own self-interest is mind boggling.
Nothing surprises me anymore.
Unless of course you own a corporation, then the mantra is get rid of these regulations and deep state regulators! We can pollute and decimate and you guvment people need to leave us alone.
From a Reagan press conference on August 12, 1986
Reagan: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."
"The government’s goals sometimes don't align with the nation’s goals."
This shows how far the Republican party has wandered from its original principles. In today's Party of Trump his quote can be rewritten.
Rewrite: "The ten most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to cause pain"
"https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/reagan-quotes-speeches/news-conference-1/
Reagan was the worst president with the slick demeanor of a father figure who could do no wrong, when in fact he was the start of serious efforts to upend government by the people, for the people. I refer to him as the “mythical Ronald Reagan.”
I referred to him in 1979 as The Cowboy Con.
My dad called him Ronnie Ray-Gun.
And now they see him as St. Ronnie. Does no one remember his term?
Like Trump amnesia?
Yes!!!
John, if only Reagan were mythical. You are so right to name him as the start of what we are dealing with now. When we got Trump, we were just starting to get past the damage done by Reagan and advanced by the Bushes. Yet there are still people who think Reagan was a good president.
I am sickened knowing how long it might take to repair the damage we still have to deal with as a result of Trump and his willingness to be the front man for the people trying to tear our country apart. I am not going to live long enough to breathe easy on that, but I hope my grandchildren will. I'm doing what I can to help lay a foundation for change, and grateful for all the people who are doing the same.
Agreed. But we must persevere in these trying times to turn things around. As Robert has said, we are in a generational battle.
Totally agree!
OMG you think Reagan is worth quoting here? He was one of the worst presidents n history, and he's the backbone of the corrupt neofascist modern day GOP.
I think that was the point he was making, Marycat.
Yes, and it should have never been shopped first to the Amarillo district court where Matthew Kacsmaryk holds sole extremist sway.
The problem is that we are a litigious society. I worked in state Supreme Court for over 10 years, and my cases ballooned over that time period because people think their first recourse is to sue. Of course, most lawyers don't mind collecting those fees and billing by the hour, especially when they're sitting for hours waiting to go in front of a judge.
It’s mind blowing that we’re even at this point. I marched for women’s lib in the early 70s. Access to safe abortions was tops, and being able to get my own credit without having to have a male co-signer was a close second. And now it feels like it was all for nothing. But I know it wasn’t. At 14 yrs old I watched my cousins best friend die from hemorrhaging after a back alley abortion. So I’m going to be working the polls in AZ this election. I’ve survived a lot of trauma in my 68 years, just like most of us. They don’t scare me.
You're not kidding, Karen. I have done the same, and remember the throngs of protesters around the Bill Baird clinic in N.Y. trying to stop me from accessing entry into the clinic, grabbing and screaming like animals, (actually, my apologies to animals) not a moments concern that the alternative was the back alley or a coat hanger abortion almost guaranteeing death. So much for those who profess their 'pro-life' status.
I am working the polls this year as well, and those people don't scare me either. I commend you, and I hope women everywhere don't take this crap lying down.
Thank You Karen! I commend you for working the polls in AZ as I know there's been a lot of harassment to our poll workers. (If I wasn't almost a decade older than you, I would be too.) I, too, remember well those days of old and how awful it was for young women.
You are an inspiration.
You’re living up to your name. BRAVO!
You are brave.
❤️ I pretend to be brave. The really brave women are the ones who came before us and fought for all our rights, were arrested, and physically assaulted and abused. I’m tired of women being treated like second class citizens.
I doubt that the negligent and disinterested Trump had anything to do with Kacsmaryk’s nomination. Look no further than the Federalist Society or similar right-wing organizations that put names of those who support their causes before the right people for nomination and approval..
Yes. Did the apparently credulous and naive Murkowski, now singing the blues about being "duped" by a "bait and switch," not realize, even after a parade of ultra-conservative judicial nominations in the last several years, that any nomination coming out of the White House would obviously be driven by the Federalist Society? Even apart from that, could she not see the huge, flashing signs saying "Extremist" and "Religious zealot" hanging off Kacszmaryk? Does she really think she can take any presentation put forward by an ultra-conservative with an ideological axe to grind at face value?
None are so blind as those who will not see. Maybe now she will start to realize that nothing is as it seems, most people lie at least a little bit from time to time, and ultra-conservatives who seek not to govern but to dominate lie openly and constantly and will stop at nothing to gain their ends.
She may not have known, but McConnell did!
Murkowski is not the only one; look at all the tfg appointees to the Supreme Corrupters.
They outright lied in confirmation hearings and they were approved. Dems deserve some of the blame here.
For sure (that Dems deserve some of the blame). I jumped on Murkowski because her sour, off-key whining as quoted in JVW's post struck my ear so hard. (I didn't see the source Politico article.)
I believe that is the importance Joyce refered to when electing a President. They nominate the names handed to them. Someone like Biden would not accept those names after checking them out.
Donnie would never think of something so logical and important, such as checking out would-be appointees. He'd rather find out what they will do FOR HIM. Period.
I doubt he would accept the source of the names.
Yes, but that is the point. Trump’s only role was to be president and allow The Federalist Society to hand him a “to do” list of reprehensible and unqualified appointees that he passed along to an enabling Senate headed by Mitch McConnell.
We cannot let the man get anywhere near the White House again!!! Take note, for example, that the Project 2025 source, as I understand it, is The Federalist Society. Need I write more? We don’t need a president who carries out the work of The Federalist Society and Vladimir Putin or Viktor Orban. A true dystopian horror show.
The Heritage Foundation is the primary brain (un)trust of Project 2025, but welcomed all kindred sprits.
"brain" methinks not.
Don't let him off the hook. He's responsible even if profoundly stupid.
He’s from Amarillo, Tx—a place of sanctimonious ignorance and a sense of Nat-C superiority. He didn’t need prodding from anyone. He was out to make a name for himself.
It’s bumfuck Texas—if you spend any time there, it will make your skin crawl.
I concur with Prelogar's stated position; no injury, no standing then remand with an Order to dismiss.
I am OK with that result but, such a resolution does not reach the stark facts that case was fabricated by a clique of 5 anti-women's health care doctors not residing in the single assignment jurisdiction with hypothetical patients with hypothetical injuries. In short, fraudulent jurisprudence.
Thank you, Bryan. I rely on your astute legal assessment (and Joyce's, too, of course ;-)
Thank you Sheila Strand. I want to share some very good 'Special Election' result in there ace for the Alabama STATE House of Representatives in red, red District 10.
And, the Winner is ... Democrat, MARILYN LANDS 🎯 Marilyn campaigned full force on the entire spectrum of Women's Health rights & hammered the 'IVF' decision fo support Alabama women & their families.
District 10 Voters gave MARILYN a Landslide of 26% well over her opponent !
Thanks for sharing that, Bryan. She may very well be the harbinger of some real change, according to some people I know from Alabama. They say it will take time, but there are real signs for optimism.
I agree Annie & see that Professor Joyce Vance has knowledge of personal details & real communication between folks in District 10 detailed in her Civil Discourse Substack tonight.
Love this! Thanks for sharing, Bryan!
I wonder how the men opposing women's reproductive rights would react if a judge decided that a man could be hurt if his Viagra-inspired erection lasted too long and ordered a ban on Viagra and similar medications.
I remind myself that humans made it out of the caves, so we can probably survive misogynists like Trump, Alito, and Kacsmaryk.
Viagra is dangerous for men with a heart condition, exactly the target market for the drug because it's why they can't get a woody to begin with.
Only if we get out the vote in huge numbers. It is truly shocking that Trump has come to be the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.
Not really. The Republican Party has reached its nadir
Don't be too sure. I'll bet you anything they're going to sink lower.
Agree 1000%
I read an infographic on TV (CNN, I think) that mifepristone is more than three times more hazardous than Viagra! But I digress....
But less dangerous than aspirin- and a whole lot less dangerous than pregnancy.
IMO this should be dismissed. Are any of the judges scientists?They should stay in their lane and let the FDA do their job. Hopefully, the decision will come soon.
One only needs to remember how Trump tried to screw up the FDA when Covid-19 was raging.
I can picture Dr. Birx squirming in her chair as Doctor Trump talked about the treatments he himself developed to help COVID-19 patients. Worse than that was the horrible disrespect he had towards Dr. Fauci.
Too bad the pretend doctor at Walter Reed didn't go with the treatments suggested by his patient Doctor Trump. Had he done that, none of us would have to be hearing that name day after day after day, ad nauseum.
So very true!!
Trump White House pharmacy improperly provided drugs and misused funds, Pentagon report sayshttps://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-white-house-pharmacy-improperly-provided-drugs-misused-funds-pentagon-2024-01-28/
Dawna,
I never knew about that, but I'm not surprised at all.
Thanks for forwarding this link. I'm going to check it out as soon as I can. But not right now because I just finished eating lunch and something tells me that I shouldn't do it on a full stomach!
Walter Reed physicians are top notch—but tRump’s chosen doc—Ronny Jackson—was the sham…and eventually got demoted (which was a Big Deal).
Dawna,
Was Ronny Jackson even an MD? Was he demoted before or after he performed "the miracle of the century" with Trump?
Considering how many had already died from COVID because of his depraved indifference, seeing Trump riding down Wisconsin Avenue in that farce of a parade made my blood boil. I felt like he insulted the friends and families of those who had passed away by "bragging" about how wonderful HE felt and how it sucked to be them. To me, his only purpose of that was to rub it in their faces. He also had to see his worshippers. I'm sure that if he had been in the hospital for something not contagious, he would have had the window down so everyone could kiss his ring.
If someone else were that sick, I think that the last thing they'd want to do would be forced to get in a car just to ride a block or two and turn around to go to the hospital. It didn't make sense.
Speaking of a sham, at first I thought that he wasn't even sick and was just faking COVID as a sympathy tactic until we watched him trying to catch his breath while going up all those steps. The first word that came to mind was KARMA.
Despite his close encounter with His Maker, he never would admit that he was wrong, and that Fauci and Birx, along with the CDC and scientists didn't know what they were talking about.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/politics/ronny-jackson-dod-inspector-general-report/index.html
OH YES!! And he was demoted for good reason!
He is a bum —and he abused his medical license for tRump’s sake. . . All kinds of scandal, there, and plenty to indicate tRump abuses amphetamines.
As they say, EVERYTHING that Trump touches dies. Every person with a job who touches Trump LOSES their job. . . .or SHOULD lose their job (Loose Cannon, for example).
I'm excited to read this link, too!
I actually think now it was the CDC instead of the FDA, but who knows…probably a little of that going on too.
"They should stay in their lane and let the FDA do their job."
The MAGA Right (via their pet judges) is steadily dismantling the capacity of federal agencies to do their job.
Their extreme ideological position is that it is Congress only that can make laws and regulations, and if the statute doesn't explicitly say that the FDA (or EPA, or BLM, and a hundred others) can do something, then they have no capacity to do it under regulations. No delegated authority.
They wish to drain the swamp back to the 19th Century.
Seems to me the ONLY reason the MAGA Right feel that congress is 'right', is because of the predominant number of red states. So it is ONLY because it would give them CONTROL, it has nothing to do with political philosophy or common law theory other than the growing representational proximity of congress to a white heterosexual patriarchal plutocratic (faithless) theocracy. Handmaidens do come to mind.
Agree I live in the worst- OK- we can't get Dems to run because of big money in petroleum and other capitalists that run this nation.
Thank you, Joyce!
A President picks Federal Judges, some of whom determine our quality of life when they decide to legislate from the bench. It's outrageous, and I am still waiting to see how we can change the court via impeachment or by changing the laws which govern Justices. If no one is above the law, this must include the Supreme Court Justices. (And Senators who block nominees!) But this is exactly why we need to vote Blue all the way down the ticket. Our healthcare, our families, our democracy, and justice.
Thanks for another great post!
"Elect ME!! Though I will rule for a mere 4 years, (and then rule vicariously through my hold on the GOP thereafter,) I will stick y'all with judges and Justices who will affect your lives for a generation."
Amen! Vote blue and get every sane person to vote.
@ Deb Pierce McCabe. "how we can change the court?"
The predicate is to win. Please check out Field Team 6. To protect American democracy, reach out to millions of unregistered likely Democrats using a dedicated database using every outreach method possible (phone and text, postcard, email and targeted ad, and in-person too), where new Democratic voters will make the most impact – in the most flippable states and districts.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/actions
Great post, Joyce, thanks for taking the time to explain this entire case.
I still don't see why any judge, legislator, or person not trained, registered and licensed as a Medical Professional should have any right to write a specific law or finding regarding any and all medical procedures. Only health care professionals and their patients need be involved. If these stupid abortion laws are given standing anywhere, why not appendectomies, tonsilectomies. colonectomies and other procedures where parts of the body are removed for the health of the patient. Are they going to force a woman with breast cancer to keep her cancerous mammary glands (breasts) because an infant needs the milk? How about a man with testicular cancer? Should he have to keep his cancerous testes because they are the sperm producing organs required to fertilize the human ovule?
All laws regarding abortion are for one purpose and one purpose only, to control female Homo sapiens.
As to medical procedures, we have sufficient protection from medical malpractice laws.
I agree.
Someone has to explain to me how any lawmakers any court has any standing in determining what a women does regarding her person health issues..
we need to enshrine women's rights once and for all by passing a federal law legalizing abortion and make it clear that government has no standing or right to control or legislate laws regarding personal health choices. Why
Is this even an issue?
"Why Is this even an issue?"
Because there is a loud, politically connected minority out there who tie their view of the world to "saving unborn babies", but in reality, demanding that sex needs to be controlled, especially in the case of women. And tying sex to procreation is a pretty good way to achieve patriarchal oversight ... especially if you have a religious bent.
"Someone has to explain to me how any lawmakers any court has any standing in determining what a women does regarding her person health issues.."
Lawmakers and courts don't require standing - only plaintiffs / appellants. That's why we are where we are.
Equal rights amendment
"She cautioned the Court that a decision for the plaintiffs could impact the entire system of FDA drug approval, and could also prevent women who need mifepristone to save their lives from accessing it."
Aren't these two outcomes that the MAGA Right (headed up by Alito) want? Anyway - it's depressing that the case might be "won" by the government on a technical foul - lack of standing - rather than blasted for its over-reaching, anti-women, anti-medicine, bastardry.
Hypothetical email in the future to Judge Alito from his doctor.
Judge Alito,
I am sorry but that blood pressure medicine that I prescribed for you has not been working. We tested the sample of the medicine you provided. It is nothing more than aspirin.
Ever since you and your court eviscerated the FDA in 2025 there has been no one to monitor the quality of the drugs that are prescribed in the US.
Don't bother trying to get the drug from Canada or elsewhere. Trump's Executive Order prevents the transportation of drugs from other countries. Your Supreme Court approved it.
You might try suing the manufacturer of the drug, but the SC decision in 2027 pretty much means you will not win. Remember your "The manufacturer is always right" decision.
I'm sorry Judge but if you had let the FDA do its job, you might still have many more years to sit on the bench. But not any more.
Goodbye and good luck.
No longer your doctor.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/science-and-research-drugs/drug-quality-sampling-and-testing-programs
Judge Kacsmaryk is such an embarrassment to the federal bench. He and Congressman Ronny Jackson, also from Amarillo, make a fine pair. You remember Ronny Jackson, the White House doc who said Trump would live to 200 (or some such ridiculous number) if he would improve his diet.
Tuberville, too. The only criterion for him to be elected was apparently being a successful college football coach. And don’t get me started on Herschel Walker - whew! Thank all our stars he lost!
Proud to report at least one part of Alabama- the northern part - elected a Democratic state representative Tuesday to replace a Republican removed for election fraud. Marilyn Lands campaigned on the issue of women’s autonomy and reproductive freedom and beat her opponent 2-1. I was skeptical of Lands’s internal polling showing abortion rights would win an election in deep Red Alabama. But this area is more purple than red.
great coach? he knows as much about coaching as he does about being a Senator.
Absolutely correct. He was not a successful college football coach, either at Auburn or at Texas Tech. He was hired at Texas Tech (my alma mater) to replace the late great Mike Leach, who was unceremoniously and unfairly fired. He did a terrible job. Tuberville left the Tech coaching job without informing people, by being a "no-show" at a recruiting event. No class!
No wonder tfg likes him - losers like other losers
Trump is selling Trump bibles for $59.99 to further appease the religious right. If he’s elected the FDA will be forced to do whatever he wants- Mifepristone availability may be saved by SCOTUS temporarily, but if Trump is elected the American judicial system will be irrelevant under his authoritarian rule. All government agencies like the FDA will do his bidding or else.
"The bible is my favorite book. In fact, it's the only book I have at home, lots of them!"
Trump’s version is King James that includes the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, some other historical documents and possibly (JK) a few chapters from Mein Kampf and Stalin.
The Internet is replete with archival comments Trump has made since 2015 revealing that he knows nothing about the Bible and cannot even cite one passage from it. He has, however, learned how to monetize his professed love of this book. Next, he will attempt to market his own very specially endorsed (and embossed with his name) edition of the Koran to the Muslims and the Talmud to the Jews, both of which he has undoubtedly be enamored with since childhood.
While he's at it, we can expect a new leather bound edition of his ghost-written "The Art of the Deal", which will be updated to include how to borrow money at the lowest interest rates and how to "cosmetically" adjust one's financial statements to maximize profits.
Brilliant!
When extreme right-winger Justice Alito asked the Solicitor General during oral argument if he considered the FDA to be "infallible", while the Solicitor General deflected the question, it was clear that Alito was baiting her to give a negative response so that he himself could then overrule the medical profession and personally travel to Rome again to take another victory lap with the Pope, as he did after he led the Court in overruling Roe.
One need only look at the broad grin on his face to see the pride and glory he is basking in by leading the Court backwards to overturn all the social progress it has made in the last century.
It would be consistent with Alito's retro judicial philosophy to allow the states to re-instate the Salem witch trials.
Hm, I wonder if he thinks *he's* infallible. The question is misleading and irrelevant. Shame on him.
And we thought Scalia was bad. Do you think he has come back from the Inferno reincarnated as Alito??
Thank you Joyce.
They have no standing! That crank in Amarillo decreed that they had standing so that he could legislate from the bench. This nonsense needs to stop yesterday.
"The Judicial Conference adopted a new policy on Tuesday to combat judge shopping, implementing a random selection process for cases seeking state or nationwide injunctions."
Of course, McConnell and the republican senators were not happy.
https://www.courthousenews.com/judicial-body-acts-to-curb-judge-shopping/
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/judge-shopping-curb-draws-partisan-backlash-in-senate
That's a big step in the right direction.👍