Abortion, Every Day - The 12-Week Lie
The 12-Week Lie
Republicans are nervous. Every poll since Roe was overturned shows rapidly increasing support for abortion rightsnot just in blue states, but across the country. And every day, another story of a woman being denied careforced to carry a doomed pregnancy, ending up in the ICU with sepsischips away at their ability to win elections.
The reality of abortion bans has done far more damage to the conservative agenda than Democrats ever could have. Americans were always pro-choice. Now theyre pro-choice, angry, and voting.
Thats why lawmakers have pivoted from talking about protecting life to assuring voters that theyre simply seeking commonsense policies. Republicans believe that if they paint abortion as a problem of extremesan issue where both sides need to give a littlepretending to seek a reasonable middle-ground might save them from voters ire. (Thats also why were hearing so much from the Right about later abortions and born alive billsthey need to create an imaginary pro-choice extreme to counter the very real suffering their bans cause.)
To be clear, I dont believe its possible for Republicans to message their way out of this. Not when hospitals are shutting down maternity wards and OBGYNs are leaving anti-choice states en masse. Not when child rape victims and cancer patients are being forced to leave their home states for care.
Still, we cant let Republicans get away with calling their restrictions reasonable. Because while they feign moderation on cable television shows and in press releases, the actual legislation theyre proposing is as cruel and punitive as its always been. The only thing thats changed is the messaging.