Republican Preparation

In his fantastic overview of the likely facets of a post-Roe abortion politics (“After Roe,” November 29), Dan McLaughlin almost in passing drops a line that deserves an essay of its own. “The worst political outcome,” he writes, “would be for Republicans to be caught napping after having had half a century to prepare.” There is practically no doubt that Republicans are in fact unprepared for a post-Roe political world. And while it’s important to have in mind the different arenas and dynamics of the fights likely to come and also to think through a concrete agenda to advance in the wake of a good Court decision, it may be most important to be ready to articulate a straightforward case for the legitimacy of that post-Roe world. Defenders of abortion will try to present the overturning of Roe as a radical step sure to unleash chaos. Pro-life officeholders and politicians need to be prepared to help citizens see that the Roe regime itself was uniquely radical and pernicious, and that the end of Roe can bring greater sanity and balance. Pro-lifers should greet the end of Roe as a victory for democracy as well as for justice, treating it as the beginning of a gradual process of enabling our society to properly care for all mothers and their children. Knowing what to say and how to say it will be key. And as McLaughlin suggests, it won’t be easy. Now is the time to prepare.

Yuval Levin

Dan McLaughlin responds: Yuval Levin is, as usual, entirely correct. There is little reason to believe that Republicans as a party are prepared for the possibility that Roe v. Wade will be overturned in 2022. They need to prepare for the immediate impact on campaigns; for attacks on the legitimacy of the Court; for street protests; and for the legislative, legal, and cultural fights to come. Evidence of that preparation is hard to find. Ambitious Republicans should also take note: If Roe is overturned, the post-Dobbs scramble will be a time in which the reputations of future candidates for national and statewide office will be made or broken. Politicians cannot always anticipate events, but this ought to be an easy one to see coming.

CorrectionsThe last line of O. Carter Snead’s article (“Inhuman Nature,” November 29) should read: “God willing, the justices will soon right this grievous wrong and restore to us the authority to care for mothers, children (born and unborn), and families in need.”

Michael Rosen’s review of Highly Irregular, by Arika Okrent (“Weird English,” November 29), incorrectly stated that English was not Okrent’s first language.