Right to choose

Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, the states have systematically limited access to abortions. The states opposed to abortion push the limits of Roe at every opportunity, passing laws that limit access to abortions in different ways (e.g., requiring parental consent if you are a minor) and several of these limitations are routinely upheld as constitutional.

The only thing Roe does in our modern conservative era is prohibit states from outlawing abortions altogether. Justices Scalia and Thomas have stated that Roe could, and should be overturned. They have an agenda and the pro-lifers are waiting for one more Scalia-like justice on the Supreme Court that would overturn it for good.

The single best reason to vote for Obama is to prevent another "judicial activist" like Scalia, Alito, or Thomas from being appointed to the Court and have our country move further toward extreme conservatism.

Overturning the decision would mean that states would be allowed to ban abortions altogether, but it's unlikely progressive states like California or New York would do so - but you never know.

I bring all of this up because Palin - who opposes abortion even in the case of rape or incest - is on the campaign trail talking about Obama, judicial activism, and abortion - to distract her listeners from her recent scandal and the economic crisis.

Here's a story about her latest stump speech:

The stop comes amid news that Palin violated Alaska ethics law by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from the state police, a state investigator's report for the bipartisan Legislative Council concluded Friday.

Ethics woes aside, Palin focused her attention on abortion -- an issue that rallies the conservative base but some say alienates independent and women voters.

"In times like these with wars and financial crisis, I know that it may be easy to forget even as deep and abiding a concern as the right to life, and it seems that our opponent kind of hopes you will forget that," Palin told a crowd in Johnstown. "He hopes that you won't notice how radical, absolutely radical his idea is on this, and his record is, until it's too late."

Palin has mostly avoided raising her opposition to abortion rights on the campaign trail since she was tapped as Sen. John McCain's running mate, a fact she readily acknowledged in her remarks. Video Watch more of Palin's views on abortion »

But Palin said Obama's record on the matter is too extreme to be ignored, and she spent 10 minutes of her 30-minute speech discussing abortion.

"A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for activist courts that will continue to smother the open and democratic debate that we deserve and that we need on this issue of life," she said. "Obama is a politician who has long since left behind even the middle ground on the issue of life."

Obama opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade and disagreed with Supreme Court ruling to uphold the "Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act." He did not cast a vote on Prohibiting Funds for Groups that Perform Abortions amendment in 2007.