The Abolition of Slavery Has Never Been Popular In The State of Alabama
Sorry, that's a typo. What I meant to say is that civil rights have never been popular in the state of Alabama.
Sorry, that's another typo. What I meant to say is that voting rights have never been popular in the state of Alabama.
Jebus. Sorry again That's yet another typo. What is wrong with me today? What I meant to say is that interracial marriage has never been popular in the state of Alabama. From Wikipedia:
In 1967, 17 Southern states (all the former slave states plus Oklahoma) still enforced laws prohibiting marriage between whites and non-whites. Maryland repealed its law in response to the start of the proceedings at the Supreme Court. After the ruling of the Supreme Court, the remaining laws were no longer enforceable. Nonetheless, it took South Carolina until 1998 and Alabama until 2000 to amend their states' constitutions to remove language prohibiting miscegenation. In the respective referendums, 62% of voters in South Carolina and 59% of voters in Alabama voted to make the amendments. In Alabama nearly 526,000 people voted against the amendment, including a majority of voters in some rural counties.
I am so sorry. That's actually two typos. Let me pause and compose myself. Deep breath.
What Tucker Carlson meant to say is that
TUCKER CARLSON: "Abortion has never been popular in the state of Alabama."
Popular? Guttmacher Institute (PDF link) notes:
In 2014, some 8,020 abortions were provided in Alabama, though not all abortions that occurred in Alabama were provided to state residents, as some patients may have traveled from other states; likewise, some individuals from Alabama may have traveled to another state for an abortion.
That number has dropped as women have insurance coverage for contraception thanks to Obamacare. And as far as "traveling to another state for an abortion" the opposite is likely. Alabama women take a "shopping trip to Atlanta" more often than they admit. That's the real story here. Alabama evangelical women have plenty of abortions, and keep it on the down low because of shame.
Do you know what else is popular in the state of Alabama?
Fox News.
Which is why maybe we as a nation need to make sure that a few atavistic, Fundamentalist dungheaps like Alabama male Republican legislators and a few screwheads from the Confederate States' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda like Tucker Carlson have no say in our public discourse about women's health and reproductive rights.
Because if they are allowed to seize control of national policy, this is what the future looks like.
Excerpted with permission from driftglass. Frances Langum contributed to this post.
