Our rickety politics isn’t ready for the post-Roe v. Wade abortion debate. Here’s why
If the Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade precedent, as a leaked draft of an opinion suggests, decisions about abortion policy will be firmly rooted in the legislative and political realms.
One problem, though, is that those realms are less equipped to deal with such tricky social issues — in part because of the way Roe reshaped them.
Seeking victory in the courts means persuading judges and justices, not your representatives or fellow citizens. It discourages the kind of compromise that politics should engender. Why make a deal if you can go to court and maybe win the whole thing?
Deep polarization has made the problems worse. The red team and the blue team police their own members, punishing compromise and enforcing loyalty by fueling primary challenges.
Take Fort Worth state Rep. Stephanie Klick. When she was first elected to the House a decade ago, anyone would have identified her as one of the staunchest social conservatives there.
Now, she’s in a runoff battle to even retain the Republican nomination in her district because of some perceived lack of fervor for the cause.
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, in an important recent essay in The Atlantic, describes the ways social media has made all this worse. Those on the furthest left and right, he notes, dominate social media discussion, often treating those on their own side who deviate from the party line worse than they do their ideological opponents.
The result: The most extreme voices are the loudest, and those open to more nuanced views retreat.
After Roe, states will go different ways. Texas will allow almost no abortion; California will make itself an abortion-access sanctuary. That’s federalism, and it’s the best option for maintaining a union with such divergent views.
Even within those states, millions will wish their elected officials would compromise. Plenty of Texans want women to have safe, accessible abortion options, especially early in a pregnancy. Tons of Golden Staters will be uncomfortable with the zeal with which their representatives invite women to terminate a life.
But those folks don’t bring the passion. They don’t scream on social media. They don’t watch Tucker or Maddow every night; they turn on Netflix or sports like normal people.
And they don’t vote in primaries. As long as that’s the case, they won’t have a seat at the table.
Editor’s note: A version of this originally appeared in our opinion newsletter, Worth Discussion. It’s delivered every Wednesday with a fresh take on the news and a roundup of our best editorials, columns and other opinion content. Sign up here.
