Abortion is a National Issue: Don't Fall for the Trump Ruse
Republicans are engaged in a cynical hoax, claiming that abortion is a state, not a federal, issue. This is a subterfuge to minimize any political damage in national elections, lulling Democrats into a semi-complacency.
It's a lie if you dig deeper. If Republicans capture the White House or both or either House of Congress, the record shows they will try to crack down on abortion medication, seek to limit access to family planning, birth control, possibly even in vitro fertilization.
Both the party platform and many members of Congress are following Donald Trump's orders to downplay abortion, which he realizes is a loser for Republicans. Donald Trump's abortion views have been all over the lot from pro-choice to a national ban. This is all transactional based on a political calculation.
Ever since the Supreme Court ended the Roe abortion protections two years ago, voters have swung decidedly in favor of allowing abortions.
Trump's 2024 position is it's a state, not a federal, issue, reflected in the GOP platform, reversing years of advocating a national ban.
During the June 27 debate, Trump said medication abortion won't be an issue as it was affirmed by the Supreme Court. That's not true; the Court ruled only on a procedural matter.
A key here is an antiquated 150-year-old measure, the Comstock Act, which bans dissemination of any materials deemed obscene. It's used sparingly against child pornography. But Republican activists want to use it to target mifepristone and other abortion pills, which now account for almost two-thirds of all abortions.
"We don't need a federal ban when we have Comstock on the books," Jonathan Mitchell, an anti-abortion activist and Trump lawyer, told the New York Times. Katy Talento, who was a top healthcare advisor to President Trump, said the Comstock Act will "be on the agenda for a pro life administration."
The gambit, Mitchell noted, is to duck the issue like Trump and the GOP platform are doing, win the election and then pounce: "The pro-life groups should keep their mouths shut as much as possible until the election."