Ever since it became known that the Supreme Court was going to issue a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion has been a hot topic leading up to the midterm elections. Democrats and their comrades in the activist media have been quite aggressive in leveraging the issue to mitigate some of the political losses they are expected to take in November.
Democrats have been vociferous in their condemnation of the court’s decision and subsequent legislation in red states placing restrictions on the procedure. Part of their strategy has been to paint Republicans as holding extreme views on abortion, accusing them of being out of step with what the majority of Americans believe on the matter.
In some ways, it has worked. GOP politicians and officials have backed away from discussing the subject even as they pass laws banning the procedure in most cases. Some speculated that this issue would put conservatives on the defensive. To some extent, this has been true.
A Pew Research study conducted in June revealed that “61% majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 37% think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.”
However, Democrats have also been rather evasive on the issue lately as Republicans have turned their attacks back on them. Left-leaning politicians have been hemming and hawing when asked about how far their support for abortion goes. Many have refused to give straight answers when asked whether they support any restrictions on the procedure – especially when it concerns late-term abortions.
Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is running against former television news anchor Kari Lake for Arizona governor, has been under scrutiny for seeming to support abortion up to the point of birth.
During an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” host Major Garrett asked if she supported a week limit on abortion. “If it’s not 15 weeks, what is it,” he asked.
Hobbs replied:
“Look, abortion is a very personal decision that belongs between a woman and her doctor. The government and politicians don’t belong in that decision, we need to let doctors perform the care that they are trained and take an oath to perform.”
Garrett pressed the candidate, asking if this means Hobbs doesn’t “favor any specific week limit on abortion.” She repeated her answer, saying she supports “leaving the decision between a woman and her doctor and leaving politicians entirely out of it.”
Stacey Abrams, who is running for Georgia governor, gave a similar answer when asked during an appearance on Fox News. “I believe that abortion is a medical decision, and I believe that that should be a choice made between a doctor and a woman in consultation with her family,” she said.
Abrams also argued that abortion was a remedy for the inflation issue that many Americans are facing during an interview on MSNBC. She said:
Having children is why you’re worried about your price for gas. It’s why you’re concerned about how much food costs for women. This is not a reductive issue. You can’t divorce being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy from the economic realities of having a child.
Stacey Abrams just said more abortions will help solve the inflation problem. You can't make this up. pic.twitter.com/SqGiP5l2Fn
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) October 19, 2022
Charlie Crist, who is running to replace Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also touted his stance on abortion, boasting about his 100% rating from Planned Parenthood.
As I’ve argued previously, Democrats have moved from being pro-choice to pro-abortion. Most Democratic politicians are in full support of late-term abortion. But this is not in line with what most Americans believe about the procedure.
The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a survey that found that 65% of respondents believe abortion should not be allowed in the second trimester. Additionally, 80% felt it should be banned during the third trimester.
While the left has weaponized the abortion issue against Republicans, it appears it has become a two-edged sword. By using this topic, they have also exposed their own radical views related to the procedure, which might have rendered this strategy almost completely impotent. While abortion is not a top issue for voters heading into the congressional elections, it is still prevalent in the national political conversation. However, it might not be the silver bullet the left needs to diminish the shellacking they are expected to take in November.
