The Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade has left anti-abortion rights activists, grassroots organizations and the Republican Party divided over how to move forward, after decades of rallying behind a universally shared goal.
Why it matters: Many anti-abortion rights leaders privately recognize the political appetite for a federal abortion ban is not there right now, and that pushing too hard, too fast could cost them in crucial elections.
Between the lines: For years, Republicans in Congress and at the state level have been able to support and pass highly restrictive abortion laws without having to deal with the political ramifications, since those laws would usually get tied up in the courts before taking effect.
- GOP lawmakers could brandish their pro-life bonafides and satisfy a significant portion of their base without facing the blowback of how those strict laws would be felt in their communities.
- But the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Casey has unilaterally altered that dynamic, raising new questions about how the Republican Party should message on abortion.
What to watch: GOP lawmakers are in an especially precarious position — their base sees the end of Roe as a starting point, but the broader American electorate overwhelmingly believes abortion should be legal in most cases....
- Just 12% of Americans believe Congress should pass a national law banning abortion, according to polling by the Public Religion Research Institute.
- “This is not a conversation we want to have,” John Thomas, a Republican strategist who works on House campaigns, recently told Politico. "We want to have a conversation about the economy. We want to have a conversation about Joe