Something to share regarding public opinion, SCOTUS, and Roe v Wade ...

[Auggie]

for what it's worth.

Had dinner with Mom (93 years of age) yesterday. I asked her what her retirement community thought of overturning Roe vs. Wade. I expected her female friends to have mixed reactions because many are life-long Republicans and several are Trump supporters. We're talking an age range of early 80s to mid-90s.

I was wrong. They're pro-choice. And they're livid.

Big question is if these feelings are similar nationwide and if they are strong enough to affect the vote in June and November. It's not a huge number of people statistically. But they do take the time to vote.

[raging moderate]

1. Republicans were different in the old days.

I have always been a Democrat, from the moment I saw the Dixiecrats storm out of that Democratic Convention, so long ago. But the Republican Party back then really had more normal people in it, and somewhat more diversity of opinion.

[Maine Abu El Banat]

3. They've gone from

The lawyers,and buisness leaders, to the guy at the edge of town with 4 cars in his trailer yard none of which run. And a big Trump sign that I'm sure the kids had to skip a few meals to pay for.
I may have disagreed with the old school GOP, but they had my respect.

[blueinredohio]

2. Women that age know what its like

having kids you really didn't want nor could afford. I'm not saying they didn't love their kids but I'm sure if they had birth control alot of women wouldn't have had as many kids.

[SharonAnn]

10. And friends or classmates who died from illegal abortions.

[halfulglas]

4. The exception to that is the fundies. They don't remember pre-80s when fundies didn't care about it.

When I was in Western PA last summer for the family reunion, we went out with a group from my sister's crowd (not all fundies but a few conservative Catholics, too) and a few of them are blaming Covid on abortion, the biggest evil in the world. And a few use the talking point that too many use abortion instead of contraception. They probably aren't even hearing about they're coming for that next.

[Auggie]

6. Yeah. Well, maybe Florida and Arizona, with their large populations of elderly ...

many of whom I hope are transplants from urban blues areas, can neutralize some of this fundamental fanaticism.

[Stuart G]

5. K and R Thanks for Posting.

[Wounded Bear]

7. Nice anecdotal evidence, at least...

I hope it is widespread. People need to vote this fall.

[aggiesal]

8. Those (R)'s and Trump supporters brought this on themselves ...

but hey, they own the libs!

[Marius25]

9. I'm really not sure these insane abortion laws will matter

Gas prices are soaring to new records, and inflation is still really high.

I think most Americans will care more about those than abortion and birth control being banned.

I hope I'm wrong.

[SharonAnn]

12. Women may care more about birth control and abortion rights.

[Lonestarblue]

11. People like your mom generally vote by mail.

We here in Texas saw how the new Republican laws restricting access to mail ballots and making it a crime for anyone other than the voter to place the ballot in a drop box caused utter confusion and votes being tossed out. The applications for mail ballots and then the ballots themselves were so deliberately confusing that thousands of people didn’t get to vote because they did not receive their mail ballots in time, and thousands more were tossed out for nothing but clerical errors. Seniors like your mom can’t drive to a drop box, and if they assume their mail ballots will be exactly like last year’s ballots, they may find their votes not being counted.

In Texas now, you must send in a perfect application for a mail ballot and wait for that to be approved (many were not) and then wait for the actual ballot to be mailed. Both forms lack clear instructions for specific information to be included and where to sign in multiple places. There were so many applications for a ballot being rejected here in Austin during the primary that local news programs had special segments teaching people how to fill out the applications and then the ballots. Deliberate obfuscation on the part of Republicans.

I don’t know the effect of the voter nullification laws passed in other Republican states, so just a cautionary tale from Texas.