OPINION: Indiana Attorney General Rokita talks protecting individual liberties yet is against abortion

Indiana Lawyer Basic Todd Rokita spoke to tens of individuals Friday on the Indiana Memorial Union. The group primarily consisted of aged individuals and younger protesters from the School Democrats at IU.

One protester held an indication inside Whittenberger Auditorium that learn, “God hates fascists!” I loved this signal, however it will appear to me that fascism is a a lot too new ideology for somebody just like the lawyer normal, a person who appears to have time traveled to IU tonight from the 18th century.

Rokita spoke for about an hour earlier than taking questions. His speech, which was sponsored by the ISI Buckley Society at Indiana College, was titled “Defending Particular person Liberty with Indiana Lawyer Basic Todd Rokita,” and he used his time to worship the Founding Fathers, denounce socialism and so-called “transgender extremism,” and brag about how profitable he’s been at hacking away on the rights of ladies and individuals who can get pregnant.

In the course of the Q&A portion of the evening, Rokita tried to clarify the contradictory elephant within the room: how can one reconcile upholding particular person liberties whereas on the similar time being in favor of a no-exceptions abortion coverage?

His argument was the difficulty of abortion includes two people, the pregnant particular person, and the fetus. An abortion would apparently infringe upon the person rights of the fetus. In fact, equating a pregnant particular person to a fetus is nonsense.

[ Abortion ban poses complex questions for IU’s future OB/GYNs]

However we should bear in mind who we’re coping with right here. It mustn’t be forgotten that Rokita, upon studying a 10-year-old woman obtained an abortion in Indiana, instantly responded by investigating the physician who carried out the process, wrongfully accusing the physician of being a prison.

Why are we even entertaining the notion of a fetus’ “particular person rights” when the lives of strolling, speaking kids are at stake? Rokita famous greater than as soon as that he merely enforces the legislation and doesn’t make it. We’re very lucky that he doesn’t make our legal guidelines, and we can be much more so the day he now not enforces the legislation – the earlier the higher.

However one mustn’t confuse Rokita’s anti-abortion positions with a hatred for ladies, oh no. Quite the opposite! When discussing these of us with the decency to defend the rights of transgender individuals, together with within the realm of sports activities, of all issues, Rokita mentioned, “I didn’t understand we had so many women-haters in our society.”

In response to Rokita, to say that trans girls ought to be capable to compete in girls’s sports activities is tantamount to hating girls. I don’t consider Rokita cares about girls’s sports activities in any respect. I believe it far more possible that Rokita merely hates trans individuals.

Rokita mentioned by speaking in regards to the so-called “transgender extremism” in America, he was operating “the danger of getting cancelled by the woke left.” Effectively, take into account your self canceled Mr. Rokita.

[ Former provost files complaint with Ind. disciplinary commission against Attorney General]

Regardless of the title of the presentation, Rokita spent little time really speaking about particular person liberties. When he wasn’t praising America’s Founding Fathers, he spent a substantial amount of time speaking in regards to the obvious evils of socialism.

The purple baiting started early on, with Rokita praising his efforts, together with the state of West Virginia and others, in curbing the powers of the apparently socialist Environmental Safety Company earlier this summer season. I wasn’t conscious attempting to guard the surroundings was a distinctly socialist precept, but when so, the socialist motion definitely has many extra adherents than I believed. Excellent news!

He went on to speak about how each American has a duty to defend the American republic. He contrasted this American duty with the supposed lack of duty of these residents dwelling in socialist international locations. “To be a socialist, you haven’t any duty,” Rokita mentioned. It is because the federal government in socialist international locations apparently does the whole lot for everybody.

This can be a misrepresentation, after all. Marx and Engels mentioned one of many key tenets of socialist society was the “equal legal responsibility of all to work.”  

I may go on. When the ISI Buckley Society invited Ann Coulter to campus final semester, she, like Rokita, lied loads about trans individuals and socialism and the parable of American exceptionalism. However credit score to her – not less than individuals confirmed up when she got here to campus. The brilliant aspect of the lawyer normal’s speech is that only a few individuals really got here to hear.

Jared Quigg (he/him) is a junior learning journalism and political science.