Razib/David, in your follow-up post on the subject of Sarah Palin and Creationism, you comment as follows:
It strikes me that those on the Right & Republicans seem more divided and emotive on this issue than abortion. More specifically, libertarian and secular Rightists seem more likely to express their displeasure about Creationism than abortion.
And you then give some good reasons why this might be the case. There are at least two more, I think, that could be added to your list. The first is that there are a decent number of strong arguments available to those on either side of the abortion debate. It’s possible for people to maintain their intellectual respect for the viewpoint of those with whom they disagree on this issue. By contrast, if there are any good arguments for Creationism, I have yet to hear them. That’s why it’s so particularly galling for those rightists still attached to the whole science-and-evidence thing that a number of prominent Republicans have chosen, if not to go walking with the dinosaurs, at least to embrace “intelligent design”. So far as abortion is concerned, we should also remember that so long as Roe v Wade remains in force, most pro-choice Republicans (or Republican-inclined) may well decide that this is an issue that they can safely overlook when deciding that the largely pro-life GOP is the party for them. It’s interesting to speculate what would happen to the GOP should Roe v Wade be overturned.
It’s interesting to speculate what would happen to the GOP should Roe v Wade be overturned.
abortion related sentiment is notoriously stable. *but*, it seems that pro-choice sentiment becomes stronger during pro-life regimes, and pro-life during pro-choice ones.
yes, but if Roe vs. Wade were overturned it would presumably become an issue for legislatures. Once GOP politicians had to actually vote on a statute, not just pay lip service, I suspect it would be even more volatile.
If it became a matter for legislatures I wouldn’t be surprised if US abortion laws ended up looking more like Europe’s which by and large have been the result of legislative comprimises.
I imagine if they left it up to the states you’d get maybe a few states with laws similar to the current laws though I imagine this to be a small number, a lot of states with compromise laws similar to for example Germany’s laws on the issue and also quite a few states with nearly total abortion bans.
It’d be interesting to see whether in some of the most pro-life states there’s enough votes to go for a complete ban even in cases of rape or incest. Something tells me that if it came down to a political campaign it’d be hard to preserve a “pure” pro-choice or pro-life position even in the states that are reputed as socially extremely liberal or conservative given how divided the electorate tends to be on the issue (and poll results always seem to come down on wording as well).
Remind me again why my reproductive medical decisions ought to be fodder for popular or legislative approval?
Abortion briefly loomed as an issue that might be returned in some measure to the states in the late 1980’s. In that environment in 1989, Virginia, years before its morphed from red to purple, featured abortion in its 1989 governor’s race and chose to send one of its most liberal state legislators – and the first African American – to its Governor’s mansion. If the deeply Republican Commonwealth of 1989 reacted thusly to mere speculation that abortion may soon be regulated on the state level, than it seems reasonable to speculate that the repeal of Roe vs Wade would lead to a massive defeat of pro-life politicians virtually everywhere outside the cotton South.