We are heading into a red-hot political season,...

When are we not?

are Republicans going too far to the extreme, looking for the votes they need to get in 2024?
#6 | POSTED BY LAMPLIGHTER A

Can someone explain the politics of this? Was Wyoming in danger of going blue?

Boaz, do American citizens have an inherent right to bodily autonomy?

Boaz, do American citizens have an inherent right to bodily autonomy?
Your question is broad and not applicable here.

#33 | POSTED BY BOAZ

How is it too broad a question? It is rather simple, either you have the absolute right to privacy of our own person or you do not.

It is absolutely applicable here. It is the basic question, does the state (i.e. government) have the power to dictate what you do with your own body, i.e. what medical procedures you are allowed to do to yourself. Shoot it is even an offshoot of your so-called state's rights. that the individual's rights are preeminent.

The power to enforce law comes from something right? Is derived from something, so does the individual have an inherent right that the state cannot supersede?

You seem to believe that the State (ie the smaller political unit that the federal) has power over an individual's body. If that is so, where does that State power come from?

State's righties and those of a libertarian stripe argue that the Constitution and Bill of Rights are actually LIMITS on the power of the state-primarily the federal government, i.e. anything not enumerated falls to the States. However, the 9th and 10th Amendments state the following:

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

These amendments CLEARLY state that there are rights that not even the States can infringe upon, i.e. inherent rights.

I would argue that bodily autonomy is the most important of these rights, without that we are but chattel for the state or the State.

So, I ask, without rancor, what justifies a State attacking the bodily autonomy of it's citizenry?

Why didn't the Democrats just introduce a bill and pass it?
They would have to get someone else to agree with them. They cant do that.

#32 | POSTED BY BOAZ

Boaz, do you believe that there are laws that a State may pass that the Federal government has the authority to override? Besides the 2nd Amendment, which your position on is pretty clear.

Specifically, I am asking about things that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution, like education or voting. Where do you draw the line between federal, state and individual rights/power?

BTW if it is not clear I find the attack on an individual's bodily autonomy to be a very scary proposition. When the state can dictate what you do to your own body, they can control everything you do.

Obvious issues like same sex marriage and ------ laws come into question, but the threat is far deeper, far more insidious.

The state can use you as a guinea pig-like experimenting on convicts or the mentally impaired or minorities (all stuff that has happened here in the good old US of A).

The state is now forcing women to remain pregnant against their wishes, even in cases where they were raped or victims of ------! They are FORCING women to put their lives and health at risk! And women do not have the inherent right to say NO this is MY body!

christ that is scary!!

I can only conclude that you aren't serious then. Either that or you are ignorant of plain language meaning of the 9th and 10th as written

Both Amendments 9 and 10 refer to the people, either not the state or in conjunction with the state.

So, there are rights that the federal government does not have that are left to the states, we can agree on that, but what is your position on the rights of the individual, i.e. the people, which the 10th even specifically separates from the state.

I ask again, do you believe that Americans have inherent rights, at stated specifically in the 9th and 10th Amendments?

If so, is bodily autonomy not one of them? If not, where do you draw the line?

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Boaz can you see the words: " ... to the states respectively, or to the people." Do you see that ?

I mean it can't be me right? Those words are there correct?

Boaz why and under what authority is voting protected by the federal government?

The answer is it is a right of the people not of the state. The Federal government has the authority to protect inherent rights

Voting is not specifically enumerated in the constitution yet it is still enforced by the federal government

Do u concur with that ?

These concepts are extremely basic

I am trying to figure out why Boaz doesn't recognize bodily autonomy as an inherent right or if he does what limits he placed on that right but he doesn't even seem able to grasp the concept of inherent rights

This is a problem in trying to find solutions so many can't understand the basics of our system of government

Boaz is stuck on a modified version of the constitution that is pre civil war

He places the state in primacy when the civil war redefined the relationship between the states and the federal government. And he doesn't seem to know that there are inherent rights states can't infringe upon

The only hope I have is ignorance can be cured with knowledge if the subject is willing however Boaz seems unwilling

There is even a debate to be had on abortion as an inherent right to bodily autonomy. There are limits on bodily autonomy ie the draft but if someone can't grasp the basic concepts or more accurately refuses to learn well pointless comes to mind

Again Boaz the constitution puts stops on power going both ways you are right the states hold the power that the feds don't but you fail to understand that the feds have the authority to restrict states over rights both enumerated and inherent.

The feds enforce the 2nd amendment (often incorrectly imo) as an enumerated right but they also enforce voting education same sex marriage inter racial marriage ------ etc. as inherent rights ie you have the inherent right to have sex with whom ever you chose ie bodily autonomy ie the state does not have the authority to dictate what you do with you body vis a vis sex. In fact there are limits on that inherent right ie willing partners of age not in public but those limits only exist as they impact (and this is important) other peoples rights.

Shoot that concept isn't even controversial for the most part but you don't seem able to grasp that

I am not trying to insult you on this I'm just trying to gauge whether you understand this very basic concept

Doc you are correct but I think that even the founding fathers seem to have understood inherent rights given the whole all men are created equal thing and the wording of the 9th and 10th amendments

They would be the biggest recipients of US foreign aid.