Abortion, Safe Streets, and America’s Future

The most controversial issue in America is, and has been since 1973, abortion. We aren’t going to discuss the reasons for one’s belief, or views formed via religion or ideology, or argue pro- or anti-. We’re only looking at the facts, the pragmatic issues that have a day-to-day impact on us all, whether or not we agree with abortion.

Let’s stipulate the no one is putting this genie back into the lamp. Women are not going to give up the control over their own bodies and decisions. Those who dislike abortion will continue to dislike abortion. Those who insist on it will continue to do so.

Roe v Dobbs

Because abortion is not amongst the enumerated powers defining the delegated, and sole, authorities of the federal government, the Dobbs decision put the issue where the Constitution, via the Tenth Amendment and the Bill of Rights, places it: in the States. Many states have decided abortion must be legalized within their state, some have decided to regulate it. Regardless, the Constitution places the responsibility for this decision within each state. It is a choice the voters of each state get to make.

Roe held that states may not restrict abortion in the first trimester, but, after “quickening,” generally described as after the first trimester, states could regulate the procedure. Little distinction actually exists between Roe and Dobbs outside the first trimester.

The Court [holding in Roe] divided the pregnancy period into three trimesters. During the first trimester, the decision to terminate the pregnancy was solely at the discretion of the woman. After the first trimester, the state could “regulate procedure.” During the second trimester, the state could regulate (but not outlaw) abortions in the interests of the mother’s health. After the second trimester, the fetus became viable, and the state could regulate or outlaw abortions in the interest of the potential life except when necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.

Social Impact

Two pragmatic issues directly related to abortion are rarely, if ever, discussed.

The pro-abortion cohort is mostly, but not entirely, Democrat. As I am reminded on occasion by Republican women, however, Republican women exist who want access to abortion, as well. A majority of women, particularly of younger women, are single-issue voters based on this issue, giving the Democrat party 60%+ of their votes. It is facile for the anti- cohort to note that the majority votes of women are giving us lunatic Democrat policies of open borders, transgenderism, decarceration, defunding police, attacks on national security, etc., when, in fact, the anti-cohort, by being anti- is giving us exactly the same thing by driving women left.

We can even talk about the weaponization of empathy that has occurred since women’s suffrage, and the increasing number of articles and memes discussing the repeal of the Nineteenth Amendment, but, absent abortion being an issue, a very real possibility exists that many of those pro- women would move right as they, too, value safe streets. The anti- cohort needs to ask itself if their position is at-odds with safe streets, safe women and children, secure borders, good education and national security.

The social pathologies alive on America’s streets today are entirely bipartisan. Democrats are able to implement bad policy based on Republicans forcing women left over abortion. If Republicans left the abortion issue alone, it would be very difficult for the lunatic left to be so lunatic – but, right now, nothing is stopping or even slowing their accelerating lunacy. Because a large majority of women will not leave the Democrat party as long as Republicans remain anti-, the Democrat party will continue heading for the lunatic left cliff. No limit exists on their insanity as long as they have 60% of the vote of half the voters… You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

Let’s note, also, that preventing abortion means demanding unwanted children. Like it or not, mistake or not, changed mind or not, affordability or not, when a woman decides on an abortion she is stating as loudly as possible that the child is unwanted and so will not, and perhaps cannot be cared for.

We’ve all seen the results of unwanted children, of children who were raised without two parents because one didn’t give a damn, of children who were not taught what most of us consider a minimum of manners and cultural norms, or of kids whose parents lacked the time or the talents or income to raise children in a manner that most Americans feel is appropriate, or who had been unwanted, themselves.

America does not need more unwanted children.

Voting

The second issue is one I have never seen discussed: the impact of abortion in the voting booth. It is massive.

Given the political distribution of pro- and anti-voters, let’s assume that 90% of women getting an abortion vote Democrat. If we further assume that 75% of kids follow their parents politically (YMMV), these two assumption give us the numbers below.

Graphing the number of abortions in America from 1973 (Roe) to 2010 (when the last voters were born who will reach voting age by the 2028 presidential election), we find this:

The first post-Roe abortion cohort, those who were not born in 1973 (536,000), would have reached voting age in time for the 1992 election in which Bill Clinton gained office and Hilary was foisted upon an unsuspecting public. If we include those not born in 1974 (647,000), who also reached voting age by 1992, we find that 1,183,000 Democrat voters did not exist who otherwise would have existed absent Roe. By the contentious and close 2000 election of George W. Bush, that number of non-existing Democrat voters reached 9,206,000. (All numbers are approximate based on records which vary and the assumptions, above, and are rounded to the nearest thousand.)

Below are the estimates of missing Democrat voters from the elections held, or that will be held, in the indicated years:

• 2016 - 26,498,000

• 2020 - 30,233,000

• 2024 - 33,776,000

• 2028 - 37,143,000

The question the anti- forces must ask themselves is this: Are the current and future impacts of the anti- position consonant with a free, safe, secure, educated future for America?

And, if not, and if people really believe in individual liberty, the realpolitik outlook would imply that outlawing abortion is not good for the country and our future. And banning government financial aid to those least likely to be able to raise their (unwanted) children might just be the opposite of ensuring an educated, safe, free country.

You can, of course, feel about abortion as you will. The facts of its impact remain unchanged .