On this week’s second edition of The Editors podcast, our panel takes the internal NRO abortion argument to the airwaves. Lindsey Graham started this ball rolling a few days ago, when he announced he was bringing legislation for a 15-week federal abortion ban to the Senate, and it caused a flurry of responses from National Review writers.

Rich turns to Michael first, who lays out his concerns with Republicans’ unpreparedness in this area: “Republicans have been naked on the issue of abortion since Dobbs was overturned. They’ve failed to articulate what the Republican Party wants as a party now to be the standard going forward.”

Michael appreciates what Graham is trying to do here, saying “I agree with Graham’s politics on this — that Republicans can’t have nothing on this issue while Democrats are making it a big issue in these midterms.” He is of the mind, though, that we can’t fight for abortion to be a state-level decision, and then turn around and push for a 15-week abortion ban at the federal level.

Rich views it differently, saying that “Republicans need to have a defensible compromise position on abortion,” and “15 weeks is a pretty good spot.” Maddy finds the various arguments compelling, and says that the “patchwork” of states’ abortion laws is “grotesque.” She also points out that this 15-week ban proposal is similar to abortion compromises our friends across the pond have already come to.

But what about the 14th Amendment? Rich pitches the constitutional question about this policy to Charlie, who immediately reminds us that, in the history of the U.S., “there has never been . . . any doubt whatsoever that the states are able to regulate and prohibit abortion.” He reminds listeners that, “It’s not a question of whether or not the Founders and those who came after them after the Civil War were prepared to protect unborn life. It’s a question of at what level that protection is sanctioned by the limited powers that the Constitution accords.”

NR’s strong pro-life stance, and the pro-life stance of its writers who are debating this issue, are not in question here. But this is a rousing debate worth tuning in to. Listen below to the entire conversation, which includes more discussion of this topic, as well as the looming European energy crisis and Democrats’ migrant problem.