When Fetal Rights Are More Important Than Democracy
The anti-abortion movement has long loved to profess its love for democracy. Clarke Forsythe of Americans United for Life consistently called on the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade and put questions about abortion “back into voters’ hands—where they belong.” The National Catholic Register proclaimed the day Roe was overturned “a wonderful day for democracy.”
But now democracy may not look so hot to anti-abortion activists: In the months since was overturned, voters in Kansas, a deeply conservative state, decisively rejected a proposal to undo , and many expect the result to be the same when voters confront ballot initiatives in . Fueled by rage about the reversal of abortion rights, Democrats have nearly eliminated Republicans’ advantage in and have turned. In many red states, politicians scared of a backlash are backpedaling on total bans, while Senate candidates such as Blake Masters are busy scrubbing their websites and on issues like fetal personhood laws, which would allow abortion to be prosecuted as murder. The anti-abortion movement faces a question: How does it feel about democracy now?
