Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision dropped in June 2022, the Republican Party has been running at full speed away from its pro-life convictions. The party platform no longer calls for any federal abortion restrictions, while former President Donald Trump says six-week bans are “too severe.” In response, some pro-life Republicans have suggested withholding their votes this year. That would be a mistake.
It’s easy to see why GOP leaders are spooked. In 2022 and 2023, pro-lifers went 0 for 7 on abortion ballot measures, including in red states like Ohio and Kansas.
When voters consider the issue in isolation, death wins every time.
Those same voters, however, have also shown their willingness to elect pro-life candidates. In the 2022 midterms, Republican Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Ron DeSantis of Florida, and Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas all won landslide reelection victories after signing six-week bans.
This suggests that it’s possible to preserve state abortion bans as long as they’re insulated from direct democracy at the state level and codification of Roe v. Wade at the federal level. And that’s reason enough for every pro-lifer to vote Trump.
Three maps reveal the current situation. The first shows state abortion restrictions. The second shows states with abortion on the ballot in 2024 (with some measures initiated by citizens and others by Democrat-controlled state legislatures).
All of the 2024 ballot measures legalize abortion through birth. Maryland, New York, and Colorado do so unapologetically, while the rest include a post-viability “maternal health” exemption that could be stretched to cover something as minor as anxiety. We can assume
