Donald Trump, the man who appointed Supreme Court justices specifically for their willingness to overturn Roe, would like you to forget that he’s the man who appointed Supreme Court justices specifically for their willingness to overturn Roe. Trump, and an increasing number of Republicans, are trying to recast themselves as moderates on abortion, meanwhile more and more states are banning abortion in virtually all circumstances.
Factions of the GOP have been campaigning to overturn Roe from the second it became the law of the land, and they succeeded, but nobody seems to want the credit. And for good reason, because as it turns out, taking away half the population’s bodily autonomy has proven to be rather unpopular at the polls. It’s been two years since the Dobbs decision and in those two years virtually every pro-choice referendum, ballot initiative or constitutional amendment has passed by wide margins, even in the reddest of states. The rollback of reproductive rights is deeply unpopular with the general public, to the point that the folks directly responsible for it are trying to distance themselves from the fallout. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of anti-choice Republicans thrilled with the current state of women’s reproductive health, but the rest of the party is starting to realize what it might cost them when conservative state courts reinstate 19th century laws banning abortion.
Hence, the attempt from Trump and his cohorts to distance themselves from the consequences. Despite their proclamations that abortion should be decided by the states, and we see how that’s working out, a nationwide abortion ban is absolutely on the table if Trump returns to power.
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