The Supreme Court turning abortion over to the states is probably the biggest news of the month. There are very few people who have moderate opinions about abortion. Hardly anyone is ambivalent about it. This is not something that can be compromised, obviously.
This is exactly why politicians are able to manipulate us so well.
The pro-choice side will be arguing that “we need to win in November to legalize abortion.”
The pro-life side will be arguing that “we need to win in November to keep abortion illegal (in certain states and then nationwide).”
The Supreme Court’s decision just filled the coffers of both parties. You might have already received a fundraising email. The Republicans and Democrats are going to be asking for your money to help support their side, and then they’re going to ask for your vote.
They’re going to ask for your money, first, because that’s more important than your vote. And this is why: No matter whether their side wins or loses, they can still use abortion as a political football until the end of time.
Whether abortion is legal or not isn’t going to affect the average politician. They’re too old to be having kids anyway, except maybe with their mistress. And if it’s illegal, you can bet they still have the connections to get it “taken care of discreetly.”
People criticized Democrats for not protecting abortion before this happened. The cynic in me says they knew it was coming and let Roe be overturned. They know they are going to get slammed in the midterm elections and needed this rallying cry. Every Dem is going to run on this topic.
I’m going to coin a term here: “Forever Battleground.” I’m not sure I like it. It’s a little clunky, but if you name an idea there’s more of a chance for it to take off and for people to remember it and reference it.
The idea is simple: There are some topics that will remain a political issue forever. Abortion. Immigration. Gun control. These are all topics that will never have a resolution.
Even if they go all the way in one direction, there will be people fighting to overturn it. That’s what happened in this case. Abortion was legal and the GOP fought for a change. Now, the Democrats will fight for a change. The pendulum will go back and forth and back and forth.
Politicians like these topics because they have a built-in audience who are very emotional. If you’re a Republican candidate, you can just check off the box that says “pro-life” and boom – you’ve got millions of supporters. Same goes for the Democrats on the other side of the fence. Those “forever battlegrounds” are ripe for single-issue voters.
I’m no legal expert. I’m not entirely sure what the full ramifications are from Roe. The whole situation might even change by the time this editorial sees print.
One thing that won’t change, however, is that everyone will be very emotional about this battleground and it will be around forever.
Chris Lundy
News Editor
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