There is that old expression that the light at the end of the tunnel may be a train coming from the opposite direction. That is the message that I would send to the political leaders in 22 states and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives on the issue of abortion.
While the majority of American citizens favor retaining a woman’s right to an abortion, these politicians and most of the potential Republican candidates for president, continue to move blindly towards either an outright abortion ban or one so unreasonable, that it defies logic.
Somehow, the results of votes taken in Wisconsin and other states, have not caught the attention of the zealots who sit up nights trying to think up another penalty for people involved in the abortion process.
Up to the present, the very bad abortion laws passed penalize the doctors, the patients, the neighbor who drove the patient to the clinic and the person who got an abortion pill in the mail. No doubt, there are many more restrictions yet to be invented that will make you scratch your head.
One person seems to have figured it out that there is a train coming from the opposite direction that will take its toll on the Republicans, is Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Mrs. Mace keeps warning her colleagues that they are making a monumental mistake and will pay a big price in 2024 if they continue to ignore the will of the public on this hot issue. Somehow, her warnings continue to fall on deaf ears and they will pay a price next year during the national elections.
To date, a handful of Republicans have announced their intentions to run for president and each and every one has found a way to dodge giving a full answer to any questions about abortion.
They all start out saying that they are pro-life and then say that the matter should be handled by the states. It is interesting to watch them cringe in front of a TV camera when pushed for a more specific answer.
Some favor a ban but are not sure for how long. Others say we will follow the will of the people.
The next pending declared candidate for president, Florida Governor DeSantis, favored a six-week ban, which every woman in America pro or con, will tell you is an unrealistic number. As a married man and the father of four daughters, I can tell you that most women have no idea whether they are pregnant or not within six weeks.
I know that DeSantis is playing to the neo-conservative faction of his party, but if he wins a primary what is he going to tell the moderate women in America when he is in a general election? DeSantis has shown himself to be an artful dodger when he talks to the Florida media, but he faces a much more probing media crowd outside of the Sunshine State.
What is comical is the recent change of tone on the part of former President Trump. He has switched from pro-choice to pro-life and now bashes DeSantis for his six-week ban.
No one should forget the fact that Mr. Trump put three pro-life judges on the Supreme Court and thanks to them the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned. These same three told a Senate Committee that they would always follow precedent but in the Roe case, they threw precedent out the window.
I often wonder what happens when the three Trump justices have their brown bag lunch and the subject of abortion comes up. As a result of their decision in the now famous Dobbs case, Republicans all over the country are taking it on the chin.
There is a Democratic Senate thanks to their decision and the House almost went Republican, all because of the Dobbs case.
Each week there is another press report that the Republican Party is looking for a middle road on this issue so they can be prepared for next year’s election. That train has already left the station and they will all have to live with the consequences of the Dobbs fiasco.
