More states are following Texas’ lead with introducing ‘heartbeat’ abortion bills. The latest and most draconian is Oklahoma which passed a law banning abortions from the ‘moment of fertilization’ and will allow private citizens to sue abortion providers who knowingly perform an abortion. The Texas law only allows citizens to sue abortion providers after the six-week point in a pregnancy so clearly, Oklahoma is trying to outdo Texas. I wonder which state will try to outdo Oklahoma. It’s probably not too far off that one of these red states will pass a law banning the use of the word ‘abortion’ and allow citizens to sue anyone who uses the word.
People are wanting to ban books, it’s only logical that the next step will be to ban words. That will save mommy and daddy from having to explain to little Johnny what ‘abortion’ is and we all know that ignorance is bliss.
However, once again, as 1984-ish as this all sounds, I think there might be a whole new set of opportunities to make the world a better and perhaps a safer place. Just think, for example, if you and your friends are at a bar and you see the bartender serve someone who you believe has had a bit too much, there could be a way to deal with this issue. The state legislatures can pass laws allowing anyone to sue the bar where this action takes place. The mere threat of such a lawsuit should keep all bars and bartenders on the straight and narrow. This individual may have a ride or a designated driver but it won’t matter. If, in your opinion, the individual has had too much to drink, you can sue the bar. It will cut down on alcohol use, make the populace healthier, might even put a little money in the litigant’s pocket and the litigant can go home with a smug feeling of self-satisfaction that they made the world a better place.
One would think that the gun industry is ripe for such citizen lawsuits. Unfortunately, there is currently a federal law that shields gun manufacturers and gun stores from most liability if their products are misused.2 However, 9 families of the Sandy Hook shooting recently settled with the bankrupt firearm company, Remington, for $73 million. Up until this recent settlement lawsuits against gun manufacturers and gun stores rarely get any traction given the federal law protecting them. “The X-factor in the Sandy Hook families’ case was their argument that Remington broke Connecticut’s unfair trade practices law by recklessly marketing the semi-automatic rifle to civilians.” [And you can bet the NRA is trying to figure out how to plug this legal loophole to limit further lawsuits and settlements]
I personally find it a bit ironic that there is a federal law shielding gun manufacturers and gun store owners from most liability regardless of the number of people killed in a mass shooting, whereas, if a doctor performs an abortion, which involves generally one fetus at most, the doctor can be sued, and in some states accused of murder. I’m not sure I understand the logic but that’s just me.
So, back to this concept of turning neighbor against neighbor as a way to enforce laws written by and supported by people who are convinced they have the moral high ground to tell everyone else how to live their lives. How far will this go? If a neighbor objects to the way a family is raising their kids by perhaps exposing them to books and movies that someone deems inappropriate, will that person be able to sue to have the kids taken away from the parents and placed into a foster home that more closely aligns with the litigants’ moral values. Surely that could never happen. Or perhaps it could.
Governor Abbott in Texas has been pushing for investigations into families of transgender children who are being treated with gender-affirming medical care. The governor and others in the state claim this is child abuse whereas it is supported by most major medical groups.3 But, science be damned, the morality police are on the march. This is an area that is absolutely ripe for neighbors to sue their neighbors and report such activities. Perhaps they can put a $10,000 bounty on this just like reporting abortions.
Given the current backlog of cases percolating through the legal system, I’m not sure how all of these new lawsuits are going to fare. One thing is for sure though, more lawyers will make more money, and more tax dollars will be squandered on morality nonsense. We are well on our way to having our own religious police just like Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations. More irony.
On the plus side, however, yesterday I went to the grocery store and I saw someone who did not put the shopping cart back where it was supposed to go. Not to worry, I got their license plate and have a call in to my attorney right now. I’m going to make them pay. Things like that shouldn’t happen in a civilized society and I feel like it is my job to make sure all of these scofflaws play by my rules and put the damned shopping carts back in the racks!!