What If Roe v Wade is Really Reversed?

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, May 10th, 2022 - 35 comments
Categories: abortion, feminism, health, us politics - Tags:

It is no mere hypothetical to inquire whether States, as soon as the reversal of Roe v Wade is confirmed, start to aggressively go after kinds of contraception.

The state of Louisiana is considering making the criminalised charge of abortion applicable to when life starts, and then define when life starts as fertilisation.

That would head towards making criminal for murder those who had IUD’s implanted, or other devices, or Morning After Pill, which may reverse very, very early stage gestation. That is, heading towards the criminalisation of contraception itself.

As this useful interview with the Attorney General of Mississippi points out, such states who seek to ban most types and gestation periods of the foetus will need to double down on resources put into making it easier for babies born to be adopted, and for those babies who are not then adopted to go to a much stronger foster care system. Mississippi is the state that brought the case to the Supreme Court this time.

Further myriad moral landmines then roll over the countryside.

The chipping-away of the power of the Roe precedent has occurred for decades. In the July 3 1989 judgement the United States Supreme Court announced a decision that delegated responsibility for regulating the availability of abortions to the discretion of individual states.

This decision was the result in significant respects of the success of the Reagan regime in appointing a series of like-minded conservative judges to the Supreme Court. The appointment of those judges including O’Connor and Scalia to contest a past liberalism of the Supreme Court, is just one instance that has got us to this (likely) much stronger judgement. It’s taken 23 years – particularly Trump’s 3 S.C. appointments – and the United States Supreme Court now has stronger conservative majorities for stronger conservative judgements.

It is not the case that the United States will henceforth fracture into a series of barely connected states divided by high walls of moral and legal force. The United States is far more deeply integrated than ever over the last 50 years; by motorway, cheap airline, multiple networks of social media, by common real-time information, by more dominant mainstream media, by Zoom, by far greater concentration of corporate power, by ever-tighter ideological scope in its politics, and of course by greater connection in health insurance policy by Obamacare.

Nor is it necessarily the case as phrased by Pete Buttigieg that the United States is at a “high water mark” of the liberal expansion of freedom in its permissive forms. It’s now easier to frame the United States as becoming more of an outlier in global abortion policy than a leader.

Nor indeed that there will necessarily be a great liberal revival as a consequence. Both Me Too and Black Lives Matter are now barely registering ideological blips with only marginal impact on just one of the mainstream parties.

What will start to occur however is a far greater legal and criminal distinction between how states treat abortion.

Once the decision is confirmed, between 23 and 26 states have legislation on the books that is ‘triggered’ to come into effect as soon as possible.

The Guardian and Politico have slightly different takes on the immediate consequences for states.

Mitch McConnell is very clear that the next step is to ban abortion across the entire United States at a Federal level and is also clear that goal is achievable.

That means, probably, see if they get a supermajority in the November mid-terms to roll over any opposition from the Presidency. Then see off the remaining opposition in the Supreme Court. That’s a very real extension to this current rollback.

Until such a nationwide ban is achieved, abortion-supportive states may get into conflict with abortion-restrictive states if they are seen to aid and abet otherwise criminalised activity crossing their borders.

No one yet knows where this will end, but the direction is clear.

35 comments on “What If Roe v Wade is Really Reversed? ”

  1. AB 1

    states who seek to ban most types and gestation periods of the foetus will need to double down on resources put into making it easier for babies born to be adopted, and for those babies who are not then adopted to go to a much stronger foster care system.

    Unlikely to happen. The burden would probably be thrown back onto unsupported mothers. And why not – it produces a pipeline of vulnerable children ripe for sexual and commercial exploitation by the Christian heretics who run these States.

  2. joe90 2

    No one yet knows where this will end, but the direction is clear.

    Meet the man on a mission to impose his world view.

    WHAT LEONARD LEO wants you to know about Leonard Leo, first and foremost, is that he is a Knight of Malta. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) is a lay Catholic order that claims descent from the Knights Hospitaller, founded in Jerusalem in 1099, at the end of the First Crusade. It’s an extremely selective group. Of the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, only 13,000 are Knights of Malta—although most of them don’t go around bragging about it.

    https://gregolear.substack.com/p/leo-the-cancer?s=w

  3. DS 3

    That means, probably, see if they get a supermajority in the November mid-terms to roll over any opposition from the Presidency. Then see off the remaining opposition in the Supreme Court. That’s a very real extension to this current rollback.

    FFS.

    To overcome Biden's veto means 2/3 of the Senate and House. There are 14 Democrats up for re-election in the Senate (vs 20 Republicans). Even if the Republicans were to win every Democratic seat, that puts them on 64 Senate seats, still short of 2/3.

    So no. The Republicans are not going to win a super-majority.

  4. Tiger Mountain 4

    It is Americans “wot dun it” to themselves again unfortunately. A country founded on genocide, an economy kick started on forced slave labour and violent union busting, with residual racism keeping the working class divided.

    It is sickly amusing to see a country with numerous religious half brains targeting other religious groups over “Sharia Law” as they attack US womens rights. Do conservative women have abortions? well the statistics that I sighted online earlier say they do.

    Approx 50 million women have had abortions since Roe v Wade and they cannot have all been liberals when you look at the breakdowns by state, region, age, religious faith etc.

    Hopefully there can be some point of unity among women on this across religious, political and social lines.

  5. Gosman 5

    There seems to be a mismatch between claims that the right to access abortion has broad support in the US and the view that there is a steady move to make it illegal across the entire USA at not just individual State but at a Federal level as well. This seems like it should be the ace up the sleeve for the Democrats and they should be itching to get a mass movement voting for their candidates to protect abortion rights across the nation.

    • Craig H 5.1

      It's a surprisingly fringe issue in terms of actually changing someone's vote. There is a very vocal minority of Republicans for whom it's all-consuming, but it's unlikely they would vote for anyone else anyway, and for those wanting to retain the Roe v Wade status quo, most of them are sufficiently pro-Democratic (or anti-Republican) that this won't change their vote, just solidify it.

      It's also very easy to vote Republican where this doesn't directly affect people, and if it ever does, the more well-off will be able to spend their way out of it e.g. pay for travel to another state or country.

      • Gosman 5.1.1

        This issue for the Democrats is that the GOP has tied up many of what should be traditional Democratic party supporters i.e. "White" Blue collar workers and this issue gives an these people a pause for thought in terms of where their vote goes especially if what you claim happens actually does happen (i.e. wealthy people get around abortion restrictions by getting it in other States).

        • Craig H 5.1.1.1

          Travelling interstate or internationally for abortion doesn't come up much currently in the USA because the main impediments are distance to the nearest facility and cost, rather than illegality, and neither of those are serious barriers to anyone with some money.

          Travelling between countries to procure abortions has recent examples from elsewhere e.g. from Ireland to England before Irish constitution changes in 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland has a section about it. Not sure about it being restricted to the wealthy specifically, just that some means are required to do it, so it's not really an option for the poor.

  6. Craig H 6

    In addition to the obvious rights issues, a major issue that arose historically with criminalising abortion was legislatures overly criminalising matters, particularly in cases where the foetus isn't viable and/or the mother's life is in danger e.g. ectopic pregnancies (0% survival rate of the foetus and serious complications for the mother), and cases where the foetus has died but the legislation has not been written with that in mind, so mothers and doctors are criminalised for removing those foetuses, or even miscarriages and stillbirths in some egregious cases.

    I haven't seen anything personally to suggest that American states considering abortion bans will take any of that into account in their approaches, which is distressing and concerning.

    • Incognito 6.1

      … e.g. ectopic pregnancies (0% survival rate of the foetus and serious complications for the mother) …

      When one is wearing a legalistic hat, this needs further elaboration. Life births after ectopic after (undiagnosed) ectopic pregnancies have been reported, but they are rare occurrences, partly because of the wrap-around care and early diagnosis, particularly in rich Western countries. There can indeed be serious complications for the woman depending on the location of the pregnancy and time of diagnosis. Assessing the viability of a pregnancy is not absolute nor as easy as you might think, particularly at the very early stages of pregnancy (which are not always picked up).

      • Craig H 6.1.1

        There's a reason why blanket bans are stupid and why NZ handled this in the past with medical assessments rather than prescriptive statements in legislation.

        • Incognito 6.1.1.1

          I agree and the Law should leave plenty of room for freedom, debate and interpretation by the people. Medical assessment should involve psychological and, in some cases, psychiatric assessment. Some folks appear to conflate Law and Dogma.

    • joe90 6.2

      I haven't seen anything personally to suggest that American states considering abortion bans will take any of that into account in their approaches

      They're going to make damn sure none of that is taken into account.

      https://twitter.com/MollieKatzen/status/1522329366130266112

  7. Ghostwhowalksnz 7

    The Senate leader doesnt control the votes of his partys senators

    Obama found that out when briefly the democratic caucus had 60 senators during his first term , but even then 2 of them were independents

    In current senate GOP Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski support womens rights in the abortion area

  8. Anker 8

    Thanks for writing this post Ad.

    Interesting that so far it appears to me no women commenting on this thread.

    So while its good to know that men are concernd on women's rights on this issue, my experience on the Standard there is much less support for women who speak up on this site about how gender ideology effects womens rights. I am curious as to why this would be?

    IMO the effect on women and girls of gender ideology is far more problematic. Male bodied people in female sporting competitions winning our prizes and scholarships. Male bodied people able to access female change rooms (and show their genitals with impunity) around women and girls (normally of course this is regarded as a sex crime). Female prisioners in the States becoming pregnant because male bodied people are incarcerated in female prisons.

    Today on Open Mike Weka posted a link about a dangerous murdered who killed tow people on the run and they are being reported as being a woman, when actually they are male bodied. They will be added to female crime stats and likly put in a women's prison.

    And the "don't say gay" bill that liberals are painting as anti LBGTQ rights. Its not. Its about ensuring teachers don't teach kids from kingergartin to grade 5 about gender identity. Because gender identity is just a belief system, a realitively new one. And It isn't age appropriately for anyone to discuss sex with kids under 8 years old. These is a huge fight in the States at the moment about this. Schools implementing policies for gender neutral toilets and covering up when a female student is raped by a boy in school toilets.

    • mpledger 8.1

      In 5th grade a child is 10-11 years old. A few girls would have started menstruating at that age. The term my child started school, they had an opposite sex friend and the kids would chant to them "X and Y are in the shower, having sex for hours and hours". Eight is way too late to be giving kids sex-positive education when they have already had many years of playground junk.

      • Anker 8.1.1

        My apologies, a mis print on my behalf. It is third grade, not fifth grade.

        I am not sure where your childs class mates got their information from: the internet, parents; kindergarten teaching?

        You seem to be saying that because kids are exposed to this, we should throw out all we know about age appropriate learning and teach it anyway.

        If you child is being teased/bullied in this way, surely the answer is to teach kids schools how to deal with teasing and bullying? Its a bit like if kids were being offered drugs in school, lets teach them all about drugs (although I concedd it is not quite the same)

        • mpledger 8.1.1.1

          I am saying that I disagree with what you define as age appropriate.

  9. SPC 9

    That is, heading towards the criminalisation of contraception itself.

    That needs a rewrite.

    As per the national level government involvement, this is more likely to be based on federal agency action (POTUS direction) as per the inter-state issue (divergence of state law).

    • Ad 9.1

      I drew the point from the Louisiana example: as of this week that state has now voted on it.

      Louisiana Law Would Ban Abortion from Conception, Punishable as Murder (newsweek.com)

      Next step is a House Floor vote.

      • SPC 9.1.1

        It all depends on how one defines contraception – traditionally it was of a design to prevent sperm from entering the uterus.

        They pose making that post conception illegal, by definition that is not contraception – that which prevents conception.

        Thus no proposal to make barrier contraception illegal.

        Plan B One-Step contains the hormone levonorgestrel — a progestin — which can prevent ovulation, block fertilization or keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. The morning-after pill is a type of emergency birth control (contraception)

        Two are contraception, the third the prevention of implantation is birth control (emergency action to prevent conception leading to pregnancy/implantation).

        What is distinguished here is the time between conception and pregnancy.

        • Ad 9.1.1.1

          There are even finer distinctions within that time.

          The Republicans will take each fraction, further and further each time.

          And there will be public debate about definitions of what constitutes a moral hazard, from child to foetus to zygote to reproduced cell, and beyond.

          Definitions won't hold this Republican campaign back now.

        • Incognito 9.1.1.2

          The moment of fertilisation. It is in Ad’s link.

  10. Populuxe1 10

    And of course states that criminalise abortion will see a lot of big corporations walking, particularly in tech where the top talent trends libertarian and really hates the state getting involved in their private life. In 2017 379 companies and employer organisations filed an amicus brief with SCOTUS urging them to support marriage equalisation for similar reasons. It seems unlikely there wouldn't be an identical move, especially as many big corporations have expressed a commitment to gender equality hiring.

  11. roblogic 11

    From a legal standpoint, it makes sense to normalise the law around this matter as the Roe precedent it quite flimsy, by my reading. If the US government intends for abortion to be legal they should have the balls to write it into the law, not rely on activist judges to do their dirty work.

    From a democracy standpoint, the Supreme Court is a weird political football that looks a bit like the House of Lords or the Privy Council. An unnecessary appendage to the legal system. If the US govt doesn’t like they way that certain laws are interpreted by the Courts then perhaps they should write better laws.

    From a moral standpoint, as a male I am on shaky ground here. But there is a concerning growth of late term abortions, aborting of those with genetic problems or disability, and even post partum “abortion” aka infanticide. These are intensely personal and painful decisions for the family involved. But the infant does not have a voice at all. OTOH states like Texas are treating women who miscarry as potential murder suspects. There has to be a moderate & compassionate way forward between these extremes.

    • Craig H 11.1

      One of the issues is that no matter how well a law is written, the US Supreme Court might interpret it as unconstitutional, and they change their mind over time. A simple example is application of the death penalty – it used to be legal in the USA for minors, and now it isn't, and it used to be legal for rape, and now it isn't (for the latter, this was a new interpretation of the 8th amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment).

      Roe vs Wade isn't just about abortion though, it also was the first time an implied right to privacy was found in the US Constitution via the 14th amendment, so vacating that now would be far-reaching in terms of other precedents based on that right.

      The 9th amendment is specific that there are other unenumerated rights besides those spelled out in the US Constitution, so it's not even the case from the current document that implied rights are automatically not a thing, despite that being an argument used by some.

      It's also not like there are no states that have codified legality of abortion as some have e.g. California.

      I agree that it's weird that these things change in some places by court precedents rather than legislative proceedings, but as above, even if the legislature wants to proactively do something, they may be prevented by court decisions anyway e.g. it's possible that this court will decide later that abortion is just unconstitutional in some sort of challenge to current permissive laws somewhere.

  12. Sabine 12

    What If Roe v Wade is Really Reversed?

    • the septic wards in the hospitals will be back
    • woman (female adult human) and girls (female child human) will die again self aborting with coat hangers, bleach, baseball bats to the tummy or falling down the stairs again
    • men will get fucked a lot less then they used too, maybe they will learn to use condoms, or have a vasectomy – but hey, not holding my breath on the use of condoms or the having a vasectomy
    • bring back baby drop boxes on churches
    • back alley abortions will come back too, and with that the need for septic wards
    • any womb-man using a online menstruation data tool and lives in the States should get the fuck of it, delete all data and start tracking their flows with a paper calendar and pen again, just like in the old days.
    • many people will again re-discover the meaning of the word 'woman' and 'female'
    • hopefully some with guts and care will organise in meatspace to again provide shelters for abused womb-mans, rape crisis centres for raped abused womb-mans, and abortion services for womb-mans in need. Because clearly no one else will. Just like in the old days.

    What if Griswold vs Conneticut is repealed? (birth control)

    Then womb-mans are back in the times of non – existance and back to back pregnancy if they are with a bloke who insists on his maintenance sex.

    As for the states making resources for unwanted babies and their even less cared for birthing bodies? Lol. Lol.

    Adoption, right , that is why everyone goes and buys a baby from a baby factory in the Ukraine or some other place where women are often very poor and have little to no other option to make money then sell breast milk, human eggs, or charge a bit for the womb rental. Just like good ferengi females.

    • Molly 12.1

      Those who are pro-life will find they lose loved ones to the 'joy of motherhood' when common pregnancy complications arise, and legal abortions are not available:

      • death of fetus at any time;
      • ectopic pregnancy;
      • cancer or other medical diagnosis that requires immediate treatment;
      • severe pre-eclampsia that puts the mothers life at high risk;
      • the overwhelming mental anguish of proceeding with a pregnancy while knowing the fetal development has been compromised to such a point it is not viable; giving birth to a child resulting from sexual assault, etc.

      There's an extremely long list of complications and mental health impacts that can be foreseen by even the most pro-life advocate if they bother to look.

      And if they did take time to consider them, then they may then develop further insight and realise that women rights advocates fully understand the impact of unwanted pregnancies on women's bodies, minds and well-being and this understanding forms the basis of their position.

      • Sabine 12.1.1

        someone said on twitter

        – the left in the US will lock womb-mans up with rapists and sexual criminals

        and hte right will force the same womb-mans to carry the child from their rapist to term and then co-parent with that rapist.

        the right – a womb-man is a vessel for the unborn

        the left – a womb-man is a birthing body.

        the womb-men in the US are fucked either way.

  13. Anker 13
    • 100% Sabine.
  14. Chris T 14

    Always surprises me how the US can be the one of the most forward thinking countries, while simultaneously being the most backward.

    Sad thing is it could actually happen.

    Return to back alleys and coat hangers and poor women bleeding to death.

    Sick stuff.

    Hopefully the brainier ones will win the argument.

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    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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