{"id":1451900,"date":"2022-04-24T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1451900"},"modified":"2022-04-24T08:00:46","modified_gmt":"2022-04-24T12:00:46","slug":"the-red-state-blue-state-divide-widens-on-hot-button-social-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-state-blue-state-divide-widens-on-hot-button-social-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"The Red State\/Blue State Divide Widens On Hot-Button Social Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-red-state-blue-state-divide-widens-on-hot-button-social-issues%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1451900&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Polarization on social issues is creating dramatically different legal landscapes between red and blue states.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li> <strong>Republican-led states are passing laws limiting abortion and restricting child sex change procedures, while <\/strong><strong>Democrat-led states are expanding abortion access and styling themselves as havens for transgender children fleeing red states.<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cThe divide between the American Left and Right on whether or not children should be sexualized in schools will continue to grow until the Left suffer real political consequences for their radical agenda,\u201d Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Red and blue states are rapidly moving further apart on hot-button social issues as lawmakers and activists shift their focus to topics like abortion and transgenderism.<\/p>\n<p>Republican-led states are passing waves of laws limiting elective abortions and sex change treatments for children, while blue states attempt to become havens for transgender children and abortion-seekers. Legislative efforts to impose 15-week abortion limits, restrict sexuality and gender ideology in classrooms and limit transgender participation in women\u2019s sports have cropped up in GOP-led states across the country; each of these measures has recently passed in Florida alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe policies that we champion are really common-sense positions that have broad support from among the average Floridian,\u201d a spokesman for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cChildren shouldn\u2019t be indoctrinated or sexualized in the classroom. Parents have rights when it comes to their child\u2019s education. Life is life and worth protecting, whether in the womb or outside of it. On these matters, we take a stand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Florida recently <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/14\/desantis-15-week-abortion-roe-dobbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">banned<\/a> abortions after 15 weeks, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/28\/ron-desantis-signs-parental-rights-in-education-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">restricted<\/a> classroom instruction on sex and gender and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/01\/desantis-biological-males-womens-sports-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">required<\/a> athletes to participate in divisions corresponding to their biological sex. The state\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/02\/24\/florida-house-passes-bill-lgbtq-schools-kindergarten-desantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parental Rights in Education<\/a> law, which critics call the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d law, banned classroom lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation for kindergarten through third grade, sparking outrage from prominent <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/09\/jen-psaki-florida-bill-parental-rights-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Democrats<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eqfl.org\/equality-florida-condemns-passage-dont-say-gay-bill-florida-legislature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LGBT<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetrevorproject.org\/blog\/the-trevor-project-condemns-florida-dont-say-gay-bill-targeting-lgbtq-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">activists<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/08\/dont-say-gay-legacy-media-activist-slogan-florida-legislation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">corporate media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis also <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/11\/desantis-signs-law-encourage-fatherhood-support-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">signed<\/a> a bill creating support programs to encourage fatherhood and released a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/22\/ron-desantis-female-swimmer-ncaa-championship-emma-weyant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">proclamation<\/a> declaring a female swimmer the winner of an NCAA championship race she lost to a biological male athlete who identifies as a transgender woman.<\/p>\n<p>Terry Schilling, president of the pro-family political advocacy organization American Principles Project (APP), told the Daily Caller News Foundation that frustrated parents were a driving force behind many of these legislative efforts. APP has been active in promoting legislation targeting certain forms of gender education and Critical Race Theory (CRT) lessons in schools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the last couple years, as schools shut down and children were forced to \u2018learn\u2019 via Zoom, parents were given a glimpse at what was actually taking place in the classroom,\u201d he said. \u201cThey weren\u2019t happy about what they saw: indoctrination into radical racial and sexual ideologies while the important subjects \u2014 math, reading, science \u2014 were left by the wayside.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u2018California\u2019s door is always open\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>While Republican state lawmakers have pushed a socially conservative agenda, blue states have fired back with their own social policies, advancing legal abortion up to the point of birth and promoting sex change treatments for children who believe they are transgender.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/02\/25\/texas-district-attorney-sex-change-surgery-children-abuse-greg-abbott-executive-order\/\">Texas<\/a> attempted to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/02\/texas-investigate-transgender-parent-child-abuse-greg-abbott\/\">prosecute<\/a> child sex change procedures as a form of child abuse and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/08\/alabama-child-sex-change-transgender-kay-ivey\/\">Alabama<\/a> passed a bill banning sex change treatments for minors, California lawmakers introduced a <a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB923\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bill<\/a> that would make the state a \u201cplace of refuge\u201d for families putting their children through medical sex changes.\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/09\/alabama-sex-change-transgender-children-aclu\/\">(RELATED: Child Sex Change Treatments Are A Hill Some LGBT Activists Are Willing To Die On)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Trans kids and their families should be celebrated \u2013 not targeted by the state!<\/p>\n<p>They are heroes. This order is a direct assault on their wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p>To fearful families in Texas right now \u2013 California\u2019s door is always open to you. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cKt5OFgFtR\">https:\/\/t.co\/cKt5OFgFtR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GavinNewsom\/status\/1496620613032550403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cTrans kids and their families should be celebrated \u2013 not targeted by the state! They are heroes,\u201d Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GavinNewsom\/status\/1496620613032550403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>. \u201cTo fearful families in Texas right now \u2013 California\u2019s door is always open to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>California also introduced legislation to fund <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/08\/california-funding-abortion-tourism-sanctuary-roe-overturned-gavin-newsom\/\">abortion tourism<\/a> in anticipation of more women traveling to the state as Republican-led states passed numerous new abortion restrictions in 2021 and 2022.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, meanwhile, supported a bill requiring sex-segregated <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kayiveyforgov\/status\/1512779819687321608\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">restrooms<\/a> as well as a bill banning <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kayiveyforgov\/status\/1512779927694753795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sex change<\/a> procedures for children.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Enough of this woke radical nonsense that preys on our kids. We\u2019re going to focus on protecting our kids and keeping our schools focused on being a place where students learn the fundamentals.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kayiveyforgov\/status\/1512780023832399878?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 9, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">\u201cEnough of this woke radical nonsense that preys on our kids,\u201d Ivey <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kayiveyforgov\/status\/1512780023832399878?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re going to focus on protecting our kids and keeping our schools focused on being a place where students learn the fundamentals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Jon Michaels, a law professor who studies government at the University of California, Los Angeles, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/03\/us\/state-laws-republican-democrat-division.html\">told<\/a> The New York Times that the waves of contrasting bills tackling social issues were driving a wedge between red and blue states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re further and further polarizing and fragmenting, so that blue states and red states are becoming not only a little different but radically different,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u2018What happens to Roe\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class=\"gs\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div id=\":sl\" class=\"ii gt\">\n<div id=\":sm\" class=\"a3s aiL\">\n<p>Numerous Republican-led states passed 15-week abortion limits after the Supreme Court took up a case surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/30\/what-media-ignores-about-abortion-law-center-major-supreme-court-case-according-mississippi-governor\/\">Mississippi\u2019s<\/a> 15-week <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/17\/supreme-court-abortion-case-mississippi-roe-wade-dobbs-jackson-womens-health\/\">limit<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/17\/scientific-advancements-abortion-supreme-court-roe-wade-dobbs-jackson\/\">Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health<\/a>. The case gives the Court an opportunity to potentially overturn Roe v. Wade or change the generally understood legal definition of fetal viability, which would allow states to make stricter abortion laws.<\/p>\n<p>Several other states have passed even stricter abortion limits; Texas banned most abortions after six weeks, the point at which a fetal heartbeat can be detected, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/08\/us\/idaho-supreme-court-abortion.html\">Idaho<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/02\/17\/south-carolina-abortion-heartbeat-bill-governor\/\">South Carolina<\/a>. Oklahoma <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/12\/oklahoma-kevin-stitt-ban-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">passed<\/a> a ban on <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/26\/375-women-supreme-court-harms-late-term-abortion-dobbs\/\">abortion<\/a> at all points in pregnancy except in medical emergencies threatening the life of the mother April 12, Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/14\/desantis-15-week-abortion-roe-dobbs\/\">abortion limit<\/a> April 14, and Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/31\/arizona-doug-ducey-abortion-transgender-sports-sex-change-legislation\/\">similar bill<\/a> March 31.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican-dominated Kentucky legislature <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/14\/andy-beshear-kentucky-veto-overruled-womens-sports-abortion\/\">overrode<\/a> Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear\u2019s veto of an abortion bill April 14, making a 15-week abortion limit law and requiring proper treatment of human remains following certain fetal deaths.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Democrat-led states are expanding abortion access even further. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/02\/15\/maryland-constitutional-amendment-abortion-adrienne-jones\/\">Maryland<\/a> lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbaltv.com\/article\/abortion-maryland-house-passes-constitutional-amendment\/39414228\">passed<\/a> legislation enshrining abortion as a constitutional right March 11 and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/11\/maryland-larry-hogan-abortion-veto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">overrode<\/a> Republican Gov. Larry Hogan\u2019s veto of a bill pouring millions of dollars into abortion trainings for non-physicians April 9.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/04\/colorado-governor-signs-bill-legalizing-abortion-birth\/\">Colorado<\/a> legalized abortion throughout the entire duration of a pregnancy April 4, and Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/07\/gretchen-whitmer-lawsuit-abortion-constitutional-right\/\">lawsuit<\/a> to make abortion a constitutional right in the state April 7.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">No matter what happens to Roe, I am going to fight like hell and use all the tools I have as governor to ensure reproductive freedom is protected. Today in court, I represent all those who deserve the freedom to choose their own future. That\u2019s a fight worth having.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovWhitmer\/status\/1512052421794705413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 7, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cNo matter what happens to Roe, I am going to fight like hell and use all the tools I have as governor to ensure reproductive freedom is protected,\u201d Whitmer <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovWhitmer\/status\/1512052421794705413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> upon filing the suit. \u201cThat\u2019s a fight worth having.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, told the DCNF that the chasm between Republican-led states and Democrat-led states would only widen as parents\u2019 newfound political involvement continues to drive politics in the upcoming midterms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe divide between the American Left and Right on whether or not children should be sexualized in schools will continue to grow until the Left suffer real political consequences for their radical agenda,\u201d Schilling said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polarization on social issues is creating dramatically different legal landscapes between red and blue states.\u00a0 Republican-led states are passing laws limiting abortion and restricting child sex change procedures, while<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":498,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1451900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1451900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1451900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1451900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1451900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}