As I watched the “breaking news” unfold live last week on Roe v Wade, I was once again dismayed to see the polarization of news coverage in America.

Fox News went full bore in one direction and CNN in the other. All the initial coverage was forced into a funnel of an anti-abortion perspective for Fox and a pro-abortion perspective for CNN. So, here we sit almost a week after the decision and contrary to dire predictions of a civil war we’re still standing as a nation full of good people trying to figure a is that the court’s decision did not make abortion illegal in America. It only ruled that Roe was wrongly decided as a constitutional right some 50 years ago.

Last week’s ruling says: “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives.”

So, Nevadans will decide their own abortion rules. My guess is that when it’s fully debated, we will allow abortions, but with rules against “late” procedures. Nevadans may also need to make a call on whether to extend the elected lives of Gov. Steve Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Sen. Catherin Cortez Masto, all of whom support the Democratic Party in its more unrestricted approach to abortions.

Not sure we’ll have enough time before the election to fully sort that out. But, here’s what Sen. Masto said in a press release after the ruling.

“Today, a majority of justices on the Supreme Court voted to overrule Roe v. Wade, rolling back the clock on reproductive care and depriving Americans of a long-established right. This is a devastating day for women in America. People in dozens of states across the country will live under extreme abortion bans, and access to critical care will be threatened all across the U.S. This is absolutely unacceptable. Women need the full range of reproductive health services to make important decisions about their physical and mental health, their bodies, their economic future, and their families’ well-being. The majority of Nevadans agree, and I will continue to fight for reproductive rights and push back on extremist laws that deprive people of essential health care.”

Obviously, she supports abortion in Nevada. I’m not sure a consensus of Nevadans are with her, but we’re about to find out.

All I know at this juncture is that as we walk through this new landscape together, the bottom line remains that abortion is legal in the United States on a state-by-state basis. The Supreme Court returned the power to voters. I’m 100 percent comfortable with that. Let the debate begin.

PERSPECTIVE

I like this outlook from Anthony Bourdain and would encourage us all to adopt it.

“Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride.”

ONE MORE THING

  • Today in Starbucks when I placed my order, I gave the name “Spartacus” as a joke. When they called my name, I stood up and yelled, “I am Spartacus!” Everyone looked at me, then an old man in the corner stood up and yelled, “No, I am Spartacus!” One by one, everyone in Starbucks stood up and yelled , “I am Spartacus!”

It’s going to be a good day.

Thanks for reading. Until next week, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.

“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick, a Nevada Hall of Fame journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@ gmail.com.