Editor's note: W. James Antill III is the managing editor of the Washington Examiner and author of “Taverning Freedom: Can Government Ever Be Stopped?” The views expressed in this commentary are his own. See more Comment on CNN.
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Former President Donald Trump clarified His position on abortion in the first presidential election Reverse It owes in part to Roe v. Wade Three judges He Appointed to the Supreme Court.
Trump's stance — essentially leaving the issue up to the states and expecting a “vote or law or maybe both” on a variety of abortion laws and “whatever they decide should be the law of the land” — separates Republicans and can't please anyone. The former president and 2024 Republican nominee wants to take credit at the same time. Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization He promises to protect voters who don't live in pro-life states from its consequences.
Courtesy of W. James Antill III
W. James Antill III
Both President Joe Biden's re-election campaign and pro-life activists already condemned Trump's Abortion Statement.
However, Trump has a point. With Roe, the Supreme Court attempted to impose a uniform national abortion policy without the democratic participation of voters or their elected representatives. Topps isn't trying to do the same. It simply restored state and federal lawmakers, and ultimately the voters who elect them, to the ultimate arbiter of abortion policy rather than the courts.
If you're going to let the voters decide on abortion, you need to address public opinion on the issue. Without public support for abortion it is impossible to enact a successful and sustainable law restricting it. Since Dobbs, Republicans have suffered Many setbacks related to abortion In the ballot box. Recent court decisions have made abortion a hot topic Arizona And Florida, two of the states that help decide the presidential election. Trump is currently in the lead Arizona And Florida Surveys.
This isn't just an issue for Republican electoral prospects, but frankly, if you're going to let elected officials shape abortion policy, abortion opponents need like-minded candidates who can win elections. It ultimately speaks to whether the pro-life cause will prevail. Overthrowing Roe is the first step.
Winning over voters is important. No dependents This feat has yet to be achieved. Recent election results and polls suggest that people have nuanced views on abortion Moved to the dependency selection page.
It is not Always the case, even now, support for legal abortion remains in the minority in every situation. In Rowe's final three decades, in 1992 Casey v. Planned Parenthood Conservatives on the Supreme Court failed to overturn a landmark 1973 decision, Expanded lawmakers' ability to regulate abortion.
This period is a Abortion reduction And Intermediate profits For the pro-life position in opinion polls, the pro-life side appeared to sway neutral voters in the debate on late-term abortion procedures and other issues.
Trump is trying to restore those political conditions. “It's important to remember that Democrats are extreme on this position because they support abortion up until the ninth month,” he said. said. (Democrats generally deny this characterization of their outlook.)
When Trump conducted Various abortion positions Over the years and That left some uncertainty As for where he will land in this campaign, his current position is that of his main rival, the former UN. Ambassador Nikki Haley agrees with most of what she said ahead of the primaries. took the same line.
I agree with pro-life activists who say this is not enough to protect fetal life and share their sense of urgency. But an approach combined with more efforts to persuade a divided public may be the best way forward under the current political conditions.
Trump will get some benefit of the doubt because of his role in ending Roe. He delivered more results than some Republicans who are perceived as purist or more sincere in their opposition to abortion.
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And if Democrats keep the Senate without filibuster defenders Sens. Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema, retain the White House and take over the House, they could pass legislation. Encodes Row And arguably push abortion policy Further to the left.
It took nearly 50 years to overturn Roe. A pro-life political culture is unlikely to be built in a single presidential election. But ground can be lost, and not just Republican candidates but innocent lives are at risk, as abortion opponents are spread too thin while fighting on multiple fronts.
Trump's compromise, seen as a starting point rather than an endgame, is likely to be good politics for Republicans in this campaign. It may also be a good strategy for the pro-life movement, which wants to take advantage of the post-Roe moment to last.
