Supremes featured on Seinfeld episode

Perusing Thursday's Supreme Court decision striking down Massachusetts' 35 foot barrier to protect women entering abortion clinics from 'in your face' harassment, I had a sense of Deja Vu. Sure enough the Supremes' insensitivity to the plight of persons they cannot empathize with was foreshadowed by "The Stall", a Seinfeld episode from 20 years ago. In it, the Supremes were represented by Jane, Jerry's new girlfriend, who refused to aid Elaine, sitting in for our now unprotected abortion seekers, in the next washroom stall, who found herself without toilet paper. "Sorry, I just don't have a square to spare" was Jane's heartless response to Elaine's plight that every normal person comprehends. While not in the written decision, one can visualize Chief Justice Robert's, sitting on his 'throne' writing, "Sorry, ladies, we Supremes, who have a 250 foot buffer to protect us, simply don't have a square foot of buffer to spare." In Seinfeld's world all is righted as Jane is unmasked, allowing Elaine to rush ahead of her on a trip to the ladies room so she could purloin the precious paper and calmly offer "I don't have a square to spare" to her tormentor turned tormented. Alas, life doesn't fully imitate art. The gauntlet for these unfortunate ladies seeking reproductive freedom just got longer and scarier with no relief in sight.

The decision in McCullen v. Coakley may not rise to the earthshaking consequences of the Dred Scott decision, but it sure is dreadful.