America’s elected officials, lobby groups, and political observers think they understand abortion politics. It is the social issue that has been with us for most of our lives, the one that doesn’t change. The one that has warped judicial politics for five decades.
Most of these people are familiar with the basic philosophical and moral thrust of argument about abortion. They remember the debates about the pro-life movement’s use of gruesome imagery and the role of religion in anti-abortion activism. They know the general polling that shows American majorities favoring the Roe decision and the polling that shows majorities favoring restrictions on abortions that Roe forbids. They remember the slogans: My Body, My Choice. A Child, Not a Choice. Get Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries. Choose Life. They think they know the terrain of the issue: rape, incest, and health exemptions.
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