Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Measure 1 cannot ban abortion

Letters to the Editor | October 29th, 2014

Betting’s letter about Measure 1’s grammar (Grand Forks Herald, Oct. 23) is so totally off, in more ways than one.

Though I too dislike the “passive voice,” that rule of style doesn’t apply to “legalese.”

Measure 1 is well-written precisely because of its passive voice -- that’s part of what keeps it from being “self-executing.”

According to the ND Supreme Court, “[A] constitutional provision is non-self-executing wherein it merely establishes general objectives, without setting forth rules by which those objectives can be accomplished.”

If Measure 1 were self-executing, maybe the opponents’ arguments would actually hold water, like when they say Measure 1 “will” ban IVF, “will” revoke living wills, etc. But the measure in and of itself cannot do any of those things. It would take extra legislation, which there is no reason to believe the legislature would pass, especially concerning end-of-life and IVF.

It’s the language of the opposition that is murky and sometimes downright unscrupulous, like saying Measure 1 “will” ban abortion -- do they know how the US government works? I assume they do, so I assume they are lying for sensationalism. Measure 1 cannot ban abortion.

Measure 1 stops activist judges from using our constitution to declare abortion a “fundamental right,” effectively nullifying our good pro-life laws, like parental notification, no sex selection, no partial birth abortions, and making way for abortion on demand in our state. This is not tin-foil-hat stuff -- it’s already happening in ND and has happened in other states, like Montana.

Big thanks to Planned Parenthood for funding the Vote No campaign -- that’s a dead giveaway as to the real power and purpose of Measure 1. They encourage this stripping of our laws that restrict them, then maybe they can set up shop here ...

Trust the legislators who crafted the amendment for our own good. Vote yes on Measure 1.

-Sarah English, Fargo

Recently in:

Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com A midnight wedding ceremony at the Clay County Courthouse in Moorhead on August 1, 2013 was more than a romantic gesture. Eighteen couples made history on that day by exchanging vows in the…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu On March 11, 2024, we celebrated the 121st birthday of bandleader Lawrence Welk. He was born March 11, 1903 in a sod house near Strasburg, North Dakota, and died on May 17,1992. The…

Saturday, May 117 p.m., gates at 5 p.m.Outdoors at Fargo Brewing Company610 University Dr. N, FargoWisconsin’s finest export, The Violent Femmes, started out in Milwaukee in 1981 as an acoustic punk band, and they’ve been…

Is this a repeating pattern?By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThere’s a quote circulating around the world wide web, misattributed to Sinclair Lewis: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a…

by Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comAccording to my great-grandfather many years ago, my French ancestors migrated from Normandy to Quebec to Manitoba to Wisconsin to Minnesota over the spread of more than two centuries, finally…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com It is not unheard of for bands to go on hiatus. However, as the old saying goes, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” That is why when a local group like STILL comes back to…

Now playing at the Fargo Theatre.By Greg Carlson gregcarlson1@gmail.comPalme d’Or recipient “Anatomy of a Fall” is now enjoying an award-season victory tour, recently picking up Golden Globe wins for both screenplay and…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com There’s no exaggeration when we say that this year’s Plains Art Gala is going to be out of this world, with a sci-fi theme inspired by a painting housed in the Plains Art Museum’s permanent…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

Dismissing the value of small towns for the future of our nation is a mistakeBy Bill Oberlanderarcandburn@gmail.comAccording to U.S. Census projections, by the middle of this century, roughly 90% of the total population will live…