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:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.com The business of Indian Hating is a lucrative one. It’s historically been designed to dehumanize Native people so that it’s easier to take their land. ‘Kill the Indian, save the man,”…

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comThere’s not really a word for reconciliation, it's said in our language. There’s a word for making it right. To talk about reconciliation in terms of the relationship between Indigenous…

December 16, 18-20, 12 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., FargoDon’t miss an annual Fargo Theatre holiday tradition. The Red River Theatre Organ Society presents (almost) a full week of holiday concerts on the Mighty Wurlitzer…

By Jim Fugliejimfuglie920@gmail.com Okay, so last month I promised you a woman President of the United States. So much for my predictability quotient. Lesson 1: Never promise something you can’t control. And nobody, not even…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWill God Ever Text Margaret Back and Answer Her Prayers?More than 50 years ago a young Judy Blume wrote about 13-year-old Margaret Simon in a contemporary realistic novel titled “Are You There,…

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 Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIn 1974, the Jamestown Arts Center started as a small space above a downtown drugstore. It has grown to host multiple classrooms, a gallery, performance studio, ceramic studio and outdoor art park.…

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 Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

Rynn WillgohsJanuary 25, 1972-October 8, 2024 Rynn Azerial Willgohs, age 52, of Vantaa, Finland, died by suicide on October 8, 2024. Rynn became her true-self March 31, 2020. She immediately became a vocal and involved activist…

By Curtis W. Stofferahn, Ph.D.Curtis.stofferahn@email.und.edu In June, two events markedly contrasted the difference between two different visions of agriculture: precision agriculture and regenerative agriculture. The dedication…