Sunday, April 17, 2022

Will the extreme anti-abortion laws passed by GOP state legislatures cause a backfire?

Updated 5/3=6,/22

https://www.usatoday.com/story/nletter/2022/05/03/leaked-abortion-draft-opinion-russias-next-moves-daily-briefing/9625726002/?utm_source=usatoday-Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campa

Biden says 'a woman's right to choose is fundamental' on heels of leaked Supreme Court draft striking down Roe v. Wade (cnbc.com)      His subsequent comments about the extremist positions of the MAGAs were inspired by the nature of the draft, making it a crime for women and anyone assists them to interfere in any way with abortions  from the  moment of inception, with no exceptions for the life of the mother, rape or incest.  There is nothing more extreme than this. Biden is also said that the legal theory on which this draft is based opens the door for similar extreme positions on birth control, the morning after pill, same-sex marriage, and.  other cultural positions are supported by a minority  of the US population. The theory is that the Constitution does not address these exact issues, so therefore there cannot be rulings on federal policy by the Supreme Court, even though prior Supreme Courts had ruled to the contrary.  This kind of decision throws the issue to state legislatures and gives them permission to enact similar laws, putting candidates for state legislatures and governors in the hot seats in the 2022 midterms.  The only question left about the impact on the 2022 midterms is if more are inspired to vote for pro-choice candidates who otherwise would have not voted or who had initially supported MAGA candidates.. Polls have shown that MAGA voters already have been more  motivated to vote and Biden and Democrats had been losing steam in enthusiasm and approval. Midterm elections usually have low voter turnout, and favor the party out of power,  but this one may buck that trend.  This leaked draft of a likely Supreme Court decision to end Roe v Wade could likely backfire since it should smack younger generations of voters and suburban women between their eyes and increase their turnout. The impact will vary from state to state, but the backlash will  more likely  influence the election of pro choice cnadidates in more purple states, than in ruby red states. 

The April 17 post follows

Aside from personal views on the matter, the GOP pro-life position on abortion makes Republicans more vulnerable than ever to exploitation by Democrats in 2022 due to some states taking ultra-extreme measures to ban abortions and to defy the intent of Roe v Wade. These extreme laws will likely spark a backfire.  Democrats can charge that Republicans are using government to force compliance of their extreme pro-life belief on an unwilling majority or half of their constituency.  They are handing Democrats a hot button issue in swing Congressional and state legislative districts in November.  The task Democrats have is to raise awareness of the voters who believe government should not be the tool for the advancement of a religious/cultural group to which they do not subscribe. The target constituency for Democrats is precisely the demographic group that Biden is losing at this time, younger voters who otherwise is mired in cynicism and still unhappy Bernie did not win. Younger Voters Are Turning on Biden More Than Any Other Age Group: Poll (newsweek.com) Nothing that would warm the hearts of this demographic best would be relieved of student debt.  The message: elections do and still have consequences and failure for them to vote is a vote against preserving their right to choose.  The message to them is that elections have consequences and in 2022 and 2024 the younger generations of voters will have the critical ability to change the future.  The target should be whether their vote is registered in elections that will make the difference, especially for state legislatures, Congress, and the presidency.   A good example of that is even if the Supreme Court kills Roe v Wade at the federal level, Colorado just passed a law because it has a legislature that is Democratic and a governor of the same party, Roe v Wade is protected by a new law in the state. However, a future GOP-dominated statehouse can reverse that, and with the blessing of an ideological and politicized court. In fact, it will clear the way, for a federal ban, wiping out state Roe v Wade-like protections.  The only action to counter that is for Congress to pass a law protecting a woman's right to choose.  IF the Supreme Court overturns a 50 years worth of prior decisions, they have paved the way for banning birth control, gay marriage, and other related rights gained by Court decisions that we thought were "settled law".  If the Court persists with overturning Roe v Wade, protection of "settled law" in any other field, race, or whatever, is no longer a valid argument or reason to keep laws already on the books that are based backed up by Court decisions, public opinion be hanged.. Get out of your funk, younger generations. Wake up and act.

The GOP is using government to impose a culture on many who do not embrace it.  Nearly 60% of those polled in the US support a women's right to choose in most instances. Even in the most conservative states like Texas and Oklahoma, the voters split equally on the issue. In spite of that, nonetheless the GOP dominated state legislatures and statehouses in Texas and Oklahoma passed some of some of the most restrictive laws in the country that ban abortion de facto or outlaw them nearly altogether. Perhaps they were inspired and counting on challenges to the laws ending up in the Supreme Court now dominated with three new justices who passed the litmus test of pro-life when the GOP last held the Senate majority. Expectations are that Roe v Wade will be overturned or so damaged to be ineffective. Elections had consequences that made that Court majority anti-abortion. Future elections can still have consequences, too as these polls show to elect representatives who would support legislation that protects a woman's right to choose in law, as was just enacted in Colorado, to no longer rely on judges chosen for their bias. Gov. Polis signs bill aiming to protect abortion access in Colorado | KUNC    Such legislation does not forbid anyone to choose to continue to be pro-life if they find themselves in a situation themselves, in the case of rape or incest or the health of the mother or in the first trimester of pregnancy.. Anti-choice laws soon to be reviewed in June by the Supreme Court attempt to appear to be in compliance with Roe v Wade, but set the time frame it is permitted is so short even women do not even know for sure they are pregnant. It in effect makes most pregnancies not protected by the right to choose, or it makes services inaccessible by either making them useless or banned altogether.  Oklahoma just passed legislation that makes criminal abortions committed with one exception: the health of the mother. In Texas, a woman who performed her own abortion has been charged with murder,,and the case was]withdrawn.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/nletter/2022/05/03/leaked-abortion-draft-opinion-russias-next-moves-daily-briefing/9625726002/?utm_source=usatoday-Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campa

What happens if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade on abortion? (usatoday.com)

Biden says 'a woman's right to choose is fundamental' on heels of leaked Supreme Court draft striking down Roe v. Wade (cnbc.com)

Gov. Polis signs bill aiming to protect abortion access in Colorado | KUNC

Colorado Voters Defeated a 22-Week Abortion Ban - The Atlantic

Why a 'baffling' murder charge in Texas worries abortion advocates (usatoday.com)

Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma governor, signs near-total ban on abortion into law - CNNPolitics   Even in Oklahoma, the voters are equally split on the rights of women to choose  Abortion Poll Results for Oklahoma voters (isidewith.com)   

In Texas the polls were similar: "About 46 percent of adults support the Texas law, which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and deputizes private citizens to enforce it through civil lawsuits. About the same amount — 47 percent of adults — oppose the law. The remaining 7 percent were undecided." More than half of men favor Texas' abortion ban, poll shows (19thnews.org)     

Easy for men to say since they will never be in the situation of having to choose.

59% of Americans say abortion should be legal | Pew Research Centereven

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