Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), 67, decided he’d make headlines, launching a national anti-abortion bill, preventing women from abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Graham, who’s never been married, has no children, has very little dog in the abortion fight wants to go back to a federal law, restricting abortion across the U.S. to pregnant women only 15 weeks pregnant. When the Supreme Court ruled June 24 to reverse 1973 Roe v. Wade, giving women the federal right to abortion without restrictions in every state in the union, they turned abortion decisions over to the courts. Overwhelming majorities of women do not support overturning Roe v. Wade, largely because they view the abortion decision as a health care right, not something the government should restrict. Graham’s tone deafness shows that he’s ready to sabotage the GOP in the Midterm elections.
Democrats around the country have made the abortion issue front-and-center, attacking Republicans for restricting abortion decisions to state law. Roe v. Wade did exactly the opposite, forcing states to accept a women’s right to choose in every state in the union. Graham’s too self-absorbed to recognize that his own party favors letting the states make their own decisions about abortion, including banning it under nearly all circumstances, including rape and incest. Ending Roe v. Wade showed that the new conservative majority on the court was not truthful in confirmation hearings, telling the Senate that Roe v. Wade was settled law, established precedent, not something to be messed with. Yet once the newly minted conservative justices, they ruled against Dobbs v. Jackson, saying the Constitution did not confer the right to abortion. Roe v. Wade was about choice, not the right to abortion.
Graham’s colleagues are beginning to get the negative fallout on the GOP from the June 25 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, ending Roe v. Wade. Nothing has motivated Democrat voters more than Roe v. Wade, the same kind of bandwagon seen in the 2020 presidential election when former President Donald Trump was demonized for botching the Covid-19 crisis and racism in America. Democrats latch onto certain causes with the help of the press and milk them until demoniizing the opposing party. Democrats have a new cause celebre with abortion. Senate candidate Lt. Gen. Steve Fetterman (D-Pa.) has made abortion his No. 1 campaign issue against TV doctor-talk-show-host Mehmet Oz, who’s defending himself against the abortion. What’s Graham trying to do to GOP candidates running in November? Conservative Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) rejected Graham’s federal abortion bill.
What’s Graham not getting about public opinion, watching Democrats around the country run on a pro-choice, pro-abortion platform. If Democrats, independents and crossover Republicans don’t back ending Roe v. Wade, what’s Graham trying to do? “No, I think right now, we should allow the states to explore the different possibilities about the appropriate way,” Rounds told CNN’s Jake Tapper, saying South Dakota has passed a more restrictive abortion law. So Rounds thinks it’s a good idea to let states meddle in a women’s right to make health care decisions, regardless of it involves abortion. Rounds won’t admit that ending Roe v. Wade through the country into more division and chaos, something it didn’t need. Why should a state legislature determine what’s appropriate for a women’s medical decision-making? Rounds is clearly confused about the state’s role in abortion.
GOP politicians couldn’t accept Roe v. Wade for the last 49 years. Making abortion a pivotal election issue for Republicans. Most GOP politicians knew the Roe v. Wade was settled law, established judicial precedent until the recent crop of conservative justices led by Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney-Barrett decided narrowly on Dobbs v. Jackson. No one deciding Roe v. Wade ever thought that the right to abortion was in the Constitution. Roe v. Wade was always about the right to medical decision-making, not pass religious or moral judgment on a women’s right to abortion. “I don’t think any proposal would be successful in the House and the Senate,” Rounds said about Graham’s national abortion bill. Rounds puts his faith in state legislature, heavily influenced by local customs, especially evangelical religious groups rally against abortion..
Graham admits that his bill does not have the votes to pass the Senate. So it begs the question what’s the South Carolina thinking knowing that an important election is only two months away? Graham knows that national polls show Democrats are milking the abortion issues to solicit votes from independents and crossover Republicans. Vast majorities of the country weren’t happy about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade was not about abortion per se but about a women’s right to chose a medical procedure in the privacy with her doctor. Ruling against Dobbs v. Jackson, the anti-abortion lobby on the Supreme Court got it wrong about the Constitution’s right to abortion. Republicans have another wedge issue on their hands, galvanizing the opposition to go to the polls. What was an expected GOP rout has suddenly turned into dead heat in the Senate and squeaker in the House.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
