For many Republicans, the overturning of Roe v. Wade was the ultimate victory — the realization of a goal they’ve spent their entire political careers trying to accomplish.
Now, it’s dawning on them that their personal triumph may lead to political failure.
North Carolina Republicans, who have a long record of attempting to infringe upon bodily autonomy, are just five seats away from a supermajority in the state legislature. If that happens, stricter abortion legislation will be a top priority. But polling shows that a majority of North Carolinians support abortion rights and do not want to see more restrictions, let alone a complete ban. Nationally, threats to abortion rights are driving voter registrations and turnout and shifting the electoral winds in Democrats’ favor.
Suddenly, the GOP has adopted a more conciliatory tone in an attempt to convince voters that there’s room for conversation and compromise. They expect North Carolinians to believe they might take a softer line — or at least negotiate in good faith on the matter — despite all evidence to the contrary.
“I suspect that we’ll be very deliberative and very thoughtful on this legislation,” House Speaker Tim Moore said last month. “My hope is that we try to find a way to make it as much as possible a consensus bill.”
Yeah, right.
Moore has told reporters that he personally favors legislation that bans abortion once the fetus has a heartbeat, but he doesn’t want to “interject what I personally believe right now.” Senate leader Phil Berger said he would prefer to restrict abortion after the first trimester, adding that he has “never” supported a full ban. Both say they support exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.
Meanwhile, Republican candidates in swing districts seem to be playing political dodgeball. Some ignore the issue of abortion altogether, while others speak evasively to avoid clarifying exactly where they stand.
In Senate District 18, which encompasses northern Wake and Granville counties, it’s hard to tell where Republican E.C. Sykes stands. Sykes told the Charlotte Observer that lawmakers should “listen to the voice of the people and understand exactly where they think a fair boundary line is.” But in a questionnaire from the North Carolina Values Coalition, a pro-life organization, Sykes said he believes abortion “should be outlawed in all situations.”
Mark Cavaliero, the “proudly pro-life” candidate in Senate District 17, says he supports “reasonable restrictions” on abortion but insists he wouldn’t vote to ban it completely. Good luck figuring out what those “reasonable” restrictions are, though, because he doesn’t really specify. He won’t say whether he’d break with his party to oppose a total ban on abortion, either.
It’s up to voters whether to believe what Republicans are saying. But actions speak volumes, and North Carolina Republicans have shown they will not protect access to abortion — they’ve sought to limit it at every turn.
They’ve stripped Planned Parenthood of state funding for family planning and pregnancy prevention services while funneling millions of dollars to anti-abortion pregnancy centers that don’t really provide health care at all.
They’ve placed burdensome regulations on patients, clinics and abortion providers that make abortion in North Carolina extraordinarily inaccessible. Former Gov. Pat McCrory signed many of these bills into law despite vowing during his 2012 campaign that he would not support further restrictions on abortion. Courts have struck down other restrictions, including a coercive forced ultrasound law.
Even Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who doesn’t often take shots across the aisle, warned voters not to believe GOP leaders who say they’re open-minded about abortion.
“Don’t be fooled by what they say now before an election,” Cooper wrote on Twitter. “Republican supermajority would override my veto and pass an extreme abortion ban with no exceptions.”
Republicans seem to expect voters to take comfort in the fact that they might not ban all abortions — or that granting exceptions for horrifying situations makes them reasonable and generous. It doesn’t, because they’re trampling on people’s rights nonetheless.
Nor should we allow them to hide behind euphemisms and political posturing. The GOP has spent years waiting for this very moment. The least they can do is own it.
This story was originally published September 08, 2022 5:00 AM.
