Differences Surface in GOP Opposition to Abortion in Post-Roe America – Opinion

For nearly 50 years conservatives were almost unanimously against abortion. Now, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. WadeEven though radical abortion advocates continue to be adamant about their beliefs, there are cracks within the Republican Party as to how they should move forward.

From the current look of things, it’s not going to be easy.

Wisconsin’s situation is an excellent example. The post-Roe era, the Badger State’s 1849 law that banned abortion except when a mother’s life was at risk is suddenly relevant again.

According to the Associated Press the Wisconsin State Assembly was blocked by Republicans by blocking a Democratic Governor’s attempt. Tony Evers tries to change the law. It’s easy to fix. But it’s difficult. Disagreement exists within the state Republican Party over what to do — if anything — to “update” the law when they return in January.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos supports reinforcing the exception for a mother’s life and adding exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Other Republicans, such as Barbara Dittrich (Royal Democrat), argue that the law should be left unchanged, with no exceptions to rape or incest.

Achieving consensus among her Republican colleagues on an alternative to the 1849 law would be a “tremendous challenge,” claims Dittrich. Given the heated debate around rape, it seems that consensus would be difficult to reach on the law’s text. We’ve seen this debate in several states, including within Indiana’s GOP-controlled General Assembly in July.

Indiana Republicans have passed the first national near-total abortion ban after a decade of stagnant legislation. Roe reversal. The exception for rape-incest drew disapproval within the party.

After 50 Republicans joined all Democrats in allowing exceptions for rape or incest, 18 Republicans voted against the final passage. About half of those voting said the bill was too restrictive, while the other half said it was too weak.

On the opposite side, however, 49 of 50 Senate Democrats voted for on-demand abortion up to birth in June. This was a meaningless protest vote against the legislation. Roe overturn. West Virginia’s Joe Manchin was the lone Democrat to cross the aisle and vote with the Republicans, giving them the majority.

South Carolina Republicans are known to have worked for decades in restricting abortion access. The debate about a total ban is ongoing. However, some legislators voiced concerns about pushing the current six week ban even further. They also urged deceleration following the defeat by Kansas voters of a ballot initiative that would have allowed them to ban abortion altogether.

“It’s like you are playing with live ammunition right now,” Republican Rep. Tom Davis told the AP.

According to the AP, some “experts” say the inconsistency among Republicans about how to move forward underscores how new the debate is — and how unprepared the party was for it. Others — including this political pundit — wonder which party will most benefit from the overturn of RoeIn the November midterms.

A related point: polls suggest that 61 percent of voters are likely to vote. AllgemeinIn most cases of abortion support, but the way questions are asked can affect how different results will be shown. On the issue of abortion until birth, a 2019 survey found that 66 percent of U.S. adults who identify as pro-choice opposed third-trimester abortions, with 68 percent opposing abortion the day before a baby is born — which “very religious” Nancy Pelosi, of course, refers to as “sacred ground.”

A July AP-NORC poll found that Republicans are largely opposed to abortion “for any reason” after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But only 16 percent of Republicans say abortion generally should be “illegal in all cases.” Most Republicans said their state should generally allow legal abortion if the child would be born with a life-threatening illness (61 percent), a pregnancy occurs as the result of rape or incest (77 percent), or if the woman’s health is seriously endangered (85 percent).

Bottom line:

The majority of right-to life advocates saw the change in Roe v. WadeIt is unlikely that this will mark the end to on-demand abortion in America. It is unlikely that conservatives could have foreseen the fight raging within the Republican Party over the near-total abortion bans and the various exceptions related to rape, incest, and other issues.

And again, the question remains which party will most benefit — if at all — in the November midterm elections and beyond. After all, obscenely so, for the Democrats, it’s all about the ballot box.

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