Alito

He's been confirmed. That was way to fast for my liking. Of course, any time-frame for confirming him would be too fast for my liking, as I don't think he'll be a particularly good SC justice. In the interest of full disclosure, by 'good' in the previous sentence I mean 'agreeing with my personal idea of how things should work'. But since I'm always right, we're OK on that count.

Speaking of the future of womens' rights (which I was but in a rather non-linear manner), Indiana is at it again. This the state that in the past has tried to make abortion illegal unless the woman was in risk of serious permanant injury or death. They've tried to limit in vitro fertilization and other similar reproductive technologies to married couples only, which is not only mysogynistic but somewhat anti-gay-rights as well (link to .pdf). If a woman wants to get an abortion in Indiana, she must endure state-mandated lectures and literature on "alternatives" to abortion, and wait at least 18 hours before having the procedure done.

Now:

House Bill 1172 would require abortion providers to notify women, at least 18 hours before the procedure, that life begins at conception; the fetus may feel pain during an abortion; doctors may apply anesthetic to the fetus, which may or may not be paid for by insurance, if the woman is at least 20 weeks pregnant; and the woman is subject to physical risk during and after the abortion.

courtesy of IndyStar.

Aaargh.

And may I just say that there are no "alternatives" to abortion? If a woman is preganant, then there is nothing besides abortion that's going to change that for the ensuing nine months. It's an either/or situation: Get an abortion or give up your life for nine months (at least).