The Barbourous ones: Mississippi, abortion, and the rise of the anti-choice right

Just in case you weren't quite sure just how serious conservatives are about restricting a woman's right to an abortion to the point of an all-out ban, consider what's going on down in Mississippi, that Barbourous bastion of darkness:

Republican Gov. Haley Barbour said Wednesday that he likely would sign a bill to ban most abortions in Mississippi if it's approved by lawmakers.

The state already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation. The bill that passed the House Public Health Committee on Tuesday would allow abortion only to save the pregnant woman's life. It would make no exception in cases of rape or incest.

First South Dakota, now Mississippi. This is why it matters that a hardened right-winger like Alito is on the Supreme Court in place of a pragmatic moderate like O'Connor.

Here's what I wrote back in January: "I still think that Democrats would benefit from the overturning of Roe insofar as the Republicans would finally be exposed for what many of them are, which is rabidly and unapologetically anti-choice -- but is that a risk worth taking? I suspect not. America -- and American women -- would hardly benefit from such bitter divisions."

Well, they're exposing themselves in Mississippi and it's likely that they'll continue to do so in statehouses and governor's mansions across the land.

Be prepared. Take action. Demand that abortion rights be protected from the clutches of the Barbourous ones.