Abortion politics
Posted by Greg on January 11, 2006
The Alan Guttmacher Institute has updated information on the status of abortion law and attitudes across the nation (Hat tip: Give Up Blog) which suggests the following map of abortion restrictions in a theoretical post Roe world.
Curious.
There are some surprises there – it’s not a clear red/blue divide as many would suggest.
Pharyngula surveys the land and notes:
I’m also looking at that strange island of Minnesota, surrounded by a sea of red and pink. I suspect that there are many hypocrites in the Dakotas and Iowa and Wisconsin who would willingly legislate the morality of the poor underclass of their state, knowing full well that if their daughters have a little ‘accident’, they can just slip across the state line for a weekend in Minneapolis—and maybe catch a little casino action in Mille Lacs after the procedure.
Personally, I agree that abortion law in Minnesota isn’t going to change any time soon, but as a whole the state is a lot more purple than some think. People talk about Midwestern moderates, but as a general rule the activists in both parties are moonbats and wingnuts. Make no mistake about it – the activist wing of Minnesota Republicans would be perfectly happy to ban abortion. I just don’t think they have anywhere close to the votes to make it happen. Yet.
Amanda at Pandagon says:
It’s been the pet theory for many on the left that women’s rights aren’t really under threat, because the Republicans can’t afford to ban abortion and therefore lose the rallying point of their base. I think there’s some evidence for this, but it’s clear now that the Repubs are going to throw the base this bone and hope that the anti-contraception/anti-gay rallying keeps them going strong.
I’m inclined to agree with her on this one. The artificial arguments over gay marriage, the “war” on Christmas, and the like seem to be sufficient for fundraising at present. A real abortion ban would be some affordable red meat in some states.
Michael Stickings opines:
I still think that Democrats would benefit from the overturning of Roe insofar as the Republicans would finally be exposed for what many of them are, which is rabidly and unapologetically anti-choice — but is that a risk worth taking?
Well…
The problem is abortion isn’t just a red/blue issue. It’s hard to predict. It’s not a Democrat/Republican thing. There are pro choice Republicans like Senators Specter and Stowe, and pro choice Democrats like Senate minority leader Reid, and Casey of Pennsylvania who we all hope will unseat Senator Frothy Mixture this November.
One problem is the sheer absolutism found on both sides of the debate. Most Americans don’t want to see abortion outlawed, but neither do most Americans see a fetus as merely a benign lump of tissue. Moreover, one can be uncomfortable with the abortion as retroactive birth control and still disfavor the notion of government intervention in the doctor-patient relationship.
Mind you, left-wing sins notwithstanding, the wingnut crowd with their with their “culture of life” nonsense hasn’t done anything to move the discussions forward. How can you expect them to discuss abortion objectively when they obsess over stem cells and play political tricks to keep the day after pill off the shelf?
Mick Stockinger said
The left clearly spends very little time actually trying to understand conservatives. Some of the above comments are entirely risible. All one has to do is listen to the Alito hearings to realize that it is a uniquely total obsession by the left–not the right. The conservative view of judicial nominations has little if anything to do with abortion, which after all, removes left-wing voters from the pool at a brisk clip. Liberals account for only 20% of the population, but have 50% of all abortions.
Judicial activism is the real issue. For most conservatives, the real issue is Roe v. Wade as bad law. If something is done about it, and I am not sure, even with a conservative court, that something would be done about it; the law would be struck down and the question of abortion revert to the states. Now is this so terrible? Well, try to find someone to provide you an abortion in the states delimited in red TODAY. The fact is that your map largely describes the availability of abortion in the present day, even with Roe v. Wade as settled law.
Its always easy to impose one’s own obsessions on others, but its rarely the objective reality.
Greg said
There are some legitimate points to Mick’s criticism of the left’s obsession with abortion. But rather than simply “the left,” it’s more an issue with what has become of feminism which today has little to do with gender equality.
Judicial activism is a red herring – usually meaning “judgments I disagree with.” Currently the most activist judges, in terms of legislating from the bench, are political conservatives.
Ah, yes. said
Hi, Mick.
I’m not quite so sure that the right isn’t often obsessed with abortion. It’s um, kinda the cornerstone of social conservatism, in my view. But I might be wrong.
Where did you get that statistic about liberals getting 50% of abortions?