The Anti-Abortion Right Is Not Into Compromise
Donald Trump ended Roe. He campaigned to appoint a Supreme Court that would end Roe. He followed through on that vow, and yes, Roe is ended. The trouble for Trump is the new attacks on reproductive rights are politically unhelpful to the man who enabled them.
What to do? Trump's now making the state's-rights pitch in Roe while advocating for a 15-week time limit. You can't have both.
If elected president, would Trump sign a law banning abortion everywhere (the heck with states' rights)? He won't say.
Would Trump support harsher punishments for women who have abortions? In 2016, Trump said he would.
This issue is not some far-off debate about whether gay-friendly books belong in school libraries. It is central to a family's ability to plan its own future. It is visceral. There is much growing evidence that pro-choice Americans "vote the issue," and this is a group that spans the political spectrum.
Possibly working in Trump's favor is his utter lack of principles. In 1999, he said he was "very pro-choice." In 2011, Trump was "pro-life." He recently performed another pirouette, declaring that Florida's six-week ban was "a terrible mistake."
What Donald Trump is truly in favor of is not caring one way or another. Unfortunately, the anti-abortion right cares very much. The end of Roe has emboldened it to go after the compromises it never wanted to make and the great American majority demands.
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Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.
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