The Slow Death of Republican’s Pro-Life Stance
Republicans have been the Pro-Life party for as long as many can remember but they are now shifting to a position of being Pro-Life with one exception: when it becomes a political liability.
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, triggering a response from Republican-led states keen on restricting abortion as extensively as possible. Some bills encountered scrutiny in state Supreme Courts, while others were enacted with minimal resistance.
By 2023, over 20 states had imposed various restrictions on abortion, ranging from outright bans to other limitations, in the aftermath of the ruling.
In December, Kate Cox, a mother in Texas at 20 weeks pregnant, learned her fetus had a lethal abnormality that is almost always fatal at birth and was seeking an abortion. Due to Texas’ abortion ban, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against her while also asserting that the law leaves discretion to physicians and not judges — even though physicians sided with Cox, who eventually went out of state to have the procedure.
Six states, namely California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont, and Ohio, voted on abortion-related constitutional amendments, with the side favoring access to abortion prevailing in each case. Efforts are underway to introduce similar amendments in 13 states for the…
