Back to the People? Really?
A Wall Street Journal editorial proclaims Abortion Goes Back to the People.
Really? The above chart shows the idea is nonsense.
The most recent data point suggests the Supreme Court case itself may have caused a jump in pro-choice.
Alternatively, we see a jump due to a dying off off aging boomers as more liberal opinions of millennials and Zoomers take hold.
‘Pro-Choice’ Identification Rises to Near Record High in U.S.
The Gallup poll shows ‘Pro-Choice’ Identification Rises to Near Record High in U.S.
A Gallup poll conducted mostly after the draft of a Supreme Court decision addressing abortion rights was leaked finds a marked shift in public attitudes over the past year. After a decade in which Americans’ identification as “pro-choice” varied narrowly between 45% and 50%, the percentage has jumped six points to 55% in the latest poll, compared with the prior measure a year ago.
Pro-choice sentiment is now the highest Gallup has measured since 1995 when it was 56% — the only other time it has been at the current level or higher — while the 39% identifying as “pro-life” is the lowest since 1996.
Reuters Poll Shows Same Thing
Please consider a Reuters Factbox: Broad U.S. support for abortion rights at odds with Supreme Court’s restrictions
About 71% of Americans – including majorities of Democrats and Republicans – say decisions about terminating a pregnancy should be left to a woman and her doctor, rather than regulated by the government.
Unfortunately, Reuters did not link to that poll conducted after the decision.
But trends were already in place according to an Ipsos May 6, 2022 poll What we know about the public’s views on abortion
Overall, Americans have gotten more supportive of a woman getting a legal abortion for any reason. Yet, the topline numbers mask a deeper partisan divide that has developed around the issue. Over the past 45 years, Republicans and Democrats have grown farther apart on this issue. In the late 70s, similar shares of Democrats and Republicans were more or less in agreement about abortion. Now, there is a roughly 35-point difference between the two sides.
Also see Americans prefer Democrats’ position on abortion to Republicans’ – Reuters/Ipsos poll
YouGov Poll
While on the subject of polls, a YouGov Poll Shows Majority of Americans disapprove of overturning Roe v. Wade
- Fifty-nine percent of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and take away the federal protections of abortion rights, according to a new CBS News/YouGov reaction poll.
- Among women polled, 67% disapprove.
- Opinion is starkly divided along party lines. 78% of Republicans approve of the decision, compared with 38% of independents and 17% of Democrats.
Back to the People? How?
In general, I am no fan of the New York Times, but this article has aspects that ring true: Supreme Court Throws Abortion to an Unlevel State Playing Field
In his concurring opinion to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh struck a note of optimism that democracy and the will of the people would prevail, even on the agonizing issue of a woman’s right to end a pregnancy.
“The nine unelected Members of this Court do not possess the constitutional authority to override the democratic process,” he wrote, adding that the court’s decision merely “restores the people’s authority to address the issue of abortion through the processes of democratic self-government.”
States, in other words, hold the power.
In Ohio, Republicans hold an undeniable edge statewide, but it’s nothing like their 64-35 edge in the Statehouse or their 25-8 edge in the State Senate. Those advantages will likely yield a near-total abortion ban in the coming weeks. Because the gerrymandering of state legislative lines is so extreme, the only competition that Republican lawmakers fear is from even more conservative Republicans.
In Wisconsin, Democrats hold virtually every statewide office, including governor. Yet, waves of gerrymandering have left Republicans with close to a supermajority in the State Senate and Assembly. That means an abortion ban that was passed in 1849, when only white men could vote, is set to go back into force now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.
Gerrymandering a Two-Way Street
Gerrymandering is a two-way street, of course. Illinois, Texas, and Ohio are among the worst.
Let’s discuss Ohio and How Republicans pass abortion bans most Americans don’t want.
On 10 April 2019, the Ohio legislature easily passed SB 23, a bill that banned abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
There wasn’t widespread support for the bill – polling showed public opinion was nearly evenly split over the bill (a poll after the bill was passed showed a majority opposed it), John Kasich, a previous Republican governor, had twice vetoed the bill, saying it was unconstitutional, and it had stalled in the legislature for years.
But Ohio’s governor, Mike DeWine, a Republican, nonetheless signed the bill into law the next day.
Ohio offers a case study of how US politicians enact extreme abortion measures that don’t align with voters’ views but face little accountability at the polls.
That kind of gerrymandering will probably serve as an invisible, virtually impenetrable fortress that will allow lawmakers across the US to continue to push extreme abortion measures that are unsupported by the public.
As lawmakers have pushed these severe restrictions, they have consistently remained out of line with what most Ohioans believe. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Ohio voters support some form of legalized abortion, while a minority believes it should be illegal.
In Illinois, extreme gerrymandering has led to worst in the nation public union corruption, high property taxes, business flight, and personal flight.
Illinois is one of a few states losing population due to extreme liberal policies.
Gerrymandering is not a one-party issue.
Abortion Access
Abortion access across the U.S. now depends on state laws after Supreme Court overturned 1973 decision that established constitutional right to an abortion.
Here is a non-paywalled link to the WSJ article Where Abortion Is Legal and Where It Loses Protections Without Roe v. Wade
Anyone living in Southern Texas, Mississippi, or Arkansas has a hell of a long drive for clinic access.
White Life Victory
Miller: President Trump… I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday pic.twitter.com/RqxmbT8jx5
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 26, 2022
“President Trump… I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday“
What an amazing statement to kick off a Trump “Save America” rally.
Don’t Be a Slut
I know there are some folks who actually think a 10-second-old fertilized egg cell is a person, but a lot of anti-abortion sentiment is just this: https://t.co/e79aGNmbNr
— Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@Noahpinion) June 26, 2022
Anne bragged about picking up followers after that Tweet.
More seriously, think clearly about viewing a 10-second fertilized egg as a person.
Hypocrisy Abounds
A huge majority of the county would be OK with some sort of middle ground, say 16 weeks.
In general
1. Blue states are way Left of that.
2. Red states are far to the Right of that.
Legal nearly always vs Murder always in some states
The country is not happy with this.
— Mike “Mish” Shedlock (@MishGEA) June 25, 2022
Not only that, most are hypocrites supporting war every chance they get.
Look no further than our damn drone policy, invasion of Iraq, calls to Bomb Bomb Iran (to the tune of Barbara Ann).
Yet, these hypocrites have a religious concern for dividing cells the split second they start dividing.
Make no mistake, religious indoctrination is much in play.
Clarence Thomas’s Abortion Opinion Revisits Same-Sex Marriage, Contraception
The WSJ notes Clarence Thomas’s Abortion Opinion Revisits Same-Sex Marriage, Contraception.
That is also a WSJ paywall-free link.
I find the opinions of Thomas truly disturbing, especially in light of “Back to the People” nonsense.
Be Careful How You Track Your Periods
Finally, please consider Period-Tracker Apps Aim for Anonymity Following Roe v. Wade Decision
Developers of period trackers and fertility apps are working on ways to anonymize user data in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down the constitutional right to an abortion.
Millions of women use services such as Flo, Clue and Apple’s Health app to help them become pregnant, avoid pregnancy or know when their next period is due. The court’s decision brought more attention to the services, which hold sensitive data that could be used against people in states where abortion may be criminalized.
Creators of some of those apps are now seeking ways to ensure that they don’t have specific information to share about their users in the first place.
Even before Roe was overturned, menstrual data has been used in government investigations, said Leah Fowler, research director at University of Houston’s Health Law and Policy Institute. In a 2019 hearing, Missouri’s state health department admitted to keeping a spreadsheet of Planned Parenthood abortion patients, which included the dates of their last menstrual period.
If you live in Texas, be very wary that state legislators may subpoena period tracking data.
Apple says data from its Health app can’t be shared or sold because it is encrypted end-to-end. But that will not stop Apple from being sued.
Expect extreme Right jackasses will attempt just that.
They will also look into pills that induce abortion and demand to see what doctors are prescribing them.
Bottom Line
- Many Blue states are way to the Left of public opinion
- Many if not most Red states are to the extreme Right of public opinion.
- A bunch of aging boomer dinosaurs on the Supreme Court and in State Assemblies have hijacked policy to opposite extremes, against clear public opinion.
Abortion did not go back to the people.
Worse yet, numerous issues are about to be hijacked by the radical Right.
With this post, I fully expect many attacks by the radical Right, with many labeling me radical Left, even though I have criticized Biden and his inept economic policies ever since he has been elected.
A genuine moderate presidential candidate would likely win 2024 in a landslide. But the extreme Left and extreme Right have hijacked their parties. So, don’t expect a moderate to emerge, anywhere.
Libertarians like me who genuinely believe in small government, no wars, reduced government spending, reduced military spending, and individual free choice, better hide under a rock. We will be attacked by the Left and Right.
This post originated at MishTalk.Com.
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Mish
The last time the Dems failed to nominate a sitting VP for the top of the ticket after their president left was in 1952 when they picked Adlai Stevenson over Charles Barkley, Truman’s VP. No way can they pick someone else. The only way to head off the cries of ray-cist is if one of their billionaires promises to give Kamalatoe a zillion-dollar no-show job at some newly-created Ray-cial Justice Center at the Kennedy School of Government. Hey, ya never know.
The powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Company. Let’s keep it clean.
was concern about population growth and particularly growth in
populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”
the womb is only hostile if the baby is going to get its head crushed and then get sucked out through a vacuum limb by limb. In other words, murdered in the womb.
Vegetables have rights!
At School? More likely it will be in Illinois. Or Baltimore. Or Detroit. With illegal weapons by criminals aka non law abiding scum. But I honestly can’t wait until that moment when criminals give up the life of crime because of the judicial system. Shouldn’t just make guns illegal, but also murder and organized crime?
You’re somewhere on the list of undesirables, they’ll get to you presently. Nazis can’t exist without a scapegoat.