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With Tuesday\u2019s relatively easy passage of an Ohio constitutional amendment that effectively bars that state\u2019s legislature from regulating abortion \u2062in the state, abortion advocates are now convinced that they \u2063not only have the\u200b public on their side\u2064 but have found political gold. They now view\u200c abortion as such a winning \u200bissue that\u2064 they think it\u2064 can \u200cpave\u200d the way to enacting\u2063 a wide range of other leftist\u200b goals. <\/p>\n

They are largely mistaken, as abortion mercifully remains a highly contentious issue in \u200dAmerica. \u2062Still, abortion advocates will continue \u2063to prevail until pro-life\u200d leaders and politicians\u2063 learn the \u2062political lessons \u2062that have arisen in\u2062 the aftermath of their puzzling failure to prepare for a\u2062 post-Roe<\/em> world.<\/p>\n

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There are\u200d two main lessons to\u200d be \u2064learned from Ohio \u2014 and from other states\u2062 where\u2064 abortion advocates have scored recent victories. The first is that, as\u200c <\/p>\n
Abraham\u2064 Lincoln understood<\/h2>\n
, \u201cpublic sentiment is everything\u201d in \u2063a republic. One must win the argument before one can change the laws\u2063 (or before one\u2063 can keep them \u2063from changing\u200c in the wrong direction). And one cannot win the \u2063argument without being willing to make the argument.<\/p>\n
The\u2063 second is that a\u2062 majority of Americans want limits on abortion, but they don\u2019t \u200dwant\u200b to eliminate \u2063it. They don\u2019t want \u2064abortion \u2064on demand, but even less\u2064 do they want an outright \u2063ban. After\u200d a half-century \u2063of legalized abortion imposed by \u2062activist judges, pro-lifers need to cultivate voters\u2019\u200b trust by emphasizing the need to limit rather\u2062 than eliminate abortion, while emphasizing that pro-abortion advocates \u200csupport abortion up until birth.<\/p>\n
Lincoln\u2019s own \u200bexample \u2063is instructive. He regarded<\/a> \u2063 slavery as \u201ca vast \u200dmoral evil.\u201d \u201cSlavery is wrong,\u201d\u200d he said, and \u200d\u201cone cannot \u200csay that people have a right to do wrong\u201d \u2014\u2063 yet he did not try to ban\u2062 it in the South. He instead fought \u200bunflinchingly against its extension into the western\u2064 territories\u2064 and states. He fought the battle that could \u2062be won, not\u200c the one he was sure to lose.<\/p>\n
Likewise, \u200bpro-lifers can\u2019t win by trying\u2062 to ban abortion outright or letting others suggest that this \u2064is their goal. \u2064Nor \u2063does it particularly serve pro-life interests to speak of banning abortion after a seemingly arbitrary number of weeks, severed from\u200d a rationale for that number. Not only does a 15-week\u2064 abortion ban, the most popular new figure, \u200cconcede too much \u2014 allowing abortions into \u200dthe second trimester \u2014 but it\u200d also still requires a lot of political\u2062 capital to try to \u2063enact. It is at once \u200dtoo\u200b much and too little. \u200dIt may \u200dmake sense\u200b in some places, but in \u2063general, it seems \u2062like a losing proposition. (Why the newfound fascination with weeks<\/em>, anyway? Why \u2064not months, or days, or trimesters?)<\/p>\n
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Recognizing \u200cthe importance of swaying public\u200c opinion, pro-lifers should \u2062instead\u2062 seek to tie\u200b abortion bans to\u2064 a developing\u2064 child\u2019s heartbeat or\u200b capacity for pain. They should push for \u2063requirements\u2062 that mothers view ultrasounds before \u2063choosing whether to end their developing\u200c child\u2019s \u2063life. \u2063They should\u200c defend\u2064 crisis pregnancy centers\u2064 against all \u200dsorts of\u200b attacks.<\/p>\n
At \u2062the same time, \u200bas I\u2019ve written<\/a> before, pro-lifers should ask abortion \u2064supporters the uncomfortable \u200bquestion of where \u2062life begins. Is it \u200cat birth, as the Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/a> suggests? Is\u200c a developing child in \u200cthe \u2063womb a human\u200b life? \u2064Is there any point before or perhaps even after<\/em> \u200d birth when\u2062 laws should prevent the killing of that life? These questions\u200d illuminate \u200dand mold public sentiment. <\/p>\n
Exit polling provides \u2064evidence that \u2062Americans are in the center \u2063on abortion, as they favor \u2063policies involving \u200bbanning \u2063or allowing abortion in \u201cmost cases\u201d over those involving doing so in\u2062 \u201call cases.\u201d Both on Tuesday in Ohio<\/a> and during last year\u2019s midterm<\/a> elections nationally,\u200d exit\u2063 polling\u2064 found that a\u2062 majority of Americans think abortion should either be \u201clegal\u2063 in most cases\u201d or \u201cillegal \u2064in most cases.\u201d In \u200bOhio exit polling<\/a>, 58 percent \u2063said they held one of those two positions, while in midterm exit polling<\/a>, 56 percent\u200c of voters said so. In comparison, only 40 percent of voters in Ohio and 39 percent in last\u200c year\u2019s midterms held a more absolutist position, saying either that abortion should\u2062 be \u201clegal in all \u2062cases\u201d or \u201cillegal in all\u200d cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 2022\u2064 midterms, exit polling<\/a> found that voters who held more\u200c middle-ground\u2063 positions on abortion were\u2063 a bit more\u2063 inclined to say \u2062abortion should be \u201clegal in most cases\u201d (30 percent) \u2063than \u201cillegal in most\u200b cases\u201d (26 percent) \u2014 yet\u2064 they voted for Republicans over\u2062 Democrats by 15 \u200cpercentage points \u2062(35 percent to \u200c20 percent). That\u2019s because the \u201cillegal\u2064 in most cases\u201d group seemed to hold\u200d its beliefs with more\u200d conviction \u2014 90 percent of them went Republican, according to \u2062 exit polling<\/a>, while just 60 percent of those who thought abortion should be \u201clegal in most cases\u201d went Democrat. So Republicans \u200bwon among those with more middle-ground positions on abortion.<\/p>\n
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In \u2064Ohio, exit polling<\/a> showed \u2062that \u2062voters who\u200c held more middle-ground \u200dpositions split evenly on the proposed constitutional amendment<\/a>\u2063 (29 percent to 29 percent),\u2062 while it \u2064 passed<\/a> \u2064by 13 points overall. It passed because more than twice \u2064as many voters held the (de facto Democrat)\u200c position that abortion\u200c should always be \u200dlegal (28 percent) than held the\u200d position that abortion should always be illegal (12 percent). So among the more absolutist \u200dvoters, pro-lifers are strongly\u2063 outnumbered. This was true not only\u200b in Ohio in \u200c2023 but\u200c nationally\u200c in 2022, when exit polling showed that voters who thought abortion should be \u2064\u201clegal in \u200ball cases\u201d outnumbered those\u2064 who thought it should be \u201cillegal \u2063in \u200ball cases\u201d by a\u2062 margin of 29 to 10 percent.<\/p>\n
Even though\u2064 most Americans are somewhat in the middle on\u200b this\u2063 profound moral question, \u2062pro-abortion politicians are fully\u2062 embracing the issue and portraying themselves as defenders of \u200ba woman\u2019s\u200c \u201cright to choose.\u201d In comparison, pro-life politicians have been far more\u2062 reticent about portraying\u2063 themselves as defenders of a \u200ddeveloping child\u2019s right to \u200blive. <\/p>\n
I reside in \u2063Virginia,\u2063 where pro-abortion ads this \u200belection cycle were ubiquitous and pro-life\u2064 ads were nonexistent. The impression surely left in many voters\u2019 minds \u2014 because that\u2019s what the ads said \u2014\u2062 is that pro-lifers \u200dwant to ban all abortions. The fact that abortion advocates \u200cwould generally allow<\/em> all abortions \u2014 even\u200b partial-birth abortions \u2014 was left unsaid.<\/p>\n
Americans\u2019 general belief that there should be \u200blimits on abortion is at odds with the left\u2019s view \u2064that\u200c abortion\u2062 should be universally available. \u2064Pro-lifers are losing\u200c in spite \u2062of this, \u200dpartly because they\u2019re\u2064 not making the case,\u200c and partly\u200b because \u2064Americans think pro-lifers\u200b want to ban all (or almost all)\u200c abortions. Americans are more \u200dconcerned about abortion\u2064 being \u2062eliminated, or nearly so, than they are about abortion advocates\u2019 extreme embrace \u200dof abortion \u2064until birth (largely because voters don\u2019t know about that).<\/p>\n
As the refreshingly honest abortion advocate Camille Paglia puts it<\/a>, \u201cAbortion pits the stronger against the weaker, and only \u200done survives.\u201d\u200d Her words\u200d \u2014 highlighting the killing of \u200dthe weak \u2014 starkly illustrate\u200b abortion\u2019s cruel injustice. Perhaps because, on some\u200d level, she recognizes this injustice, Paglia says that while\u200c she \u2064favors \u2063\u201cunrestricted access to abortion,\u201d she nevertheless\u200b respects \u201cthe pro-life viewpoint\u201d as the one\u200c that \u201chas \u2062the moral \u200bhigh ground<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n
In\u2062 addition \u2062to holding that moral \u200chigh \u200bground, however, pro-lifers must learn to fight in the political trenches. Pro-lifers must work diligently to shift public opinion against abortion, but they neglect the\u2062 current political reality at their\u200b \u2014 and \u2062abortion victims\u2019 \u2014 peril. <\/p>\n
Pro-lifers should follow the example set by Lincoln on an \u200cearlier, similarly contentious, issue. While not \u200dbeing shy about\u2064 characterizing abortion as\u200d a moral\u200c evil, \u200bthey should \u200dmake clear that they are not proposing to ban\u2062 the all-too-common practice across the \u200cboard \u2014 for it is too well-established \u2014 even as \u200btheir opponents are working \u200cdiligently to\u2064 allow it \u2064in all circumstances and at \u2063all times.<\/p>\n
While recent defeats have been \u200ddispiriting to the pro-life cause, those determined to protect innocent\u2062 human life \u200bshould take heed from Lincoln\u2019s words<\/a> in his 1860\u2063 Cooper\u2063 Union \u2063Address: \u201cLet us have\u2064 faith that right makes might.\u201d By making their\u200c case more \u200dforcefully on the merits,\u2062 while also demonstrating more political prudence\u200d and savvy, pro-life leaders and politicians could succeed in fulfilling\u2062 the promise \u200cof Lincoln\u2019s words.<\/p>\n
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\u200b rnrn <\/p>\n
In what ways can pro-life advocates tie abortion restrictions to significant milestones, such as a developing child’s heartbeat or the capacity for pain, to gain public support<\/h2>\n
Title: Lessons from Ohio: The Path to Pro-Life Success<\/p>\n
Introduction:<\/p>\n
The recent passage of an Ohio constitutional amendment that restricts the state legislature from regulating abortion has emboldened abortion \u2063advocates. However, their confidence may be misplaced\u200b as \u200bthe issue of abortion remains highly contentious in America. To effectively\u200b counter\u2063 the pro-abortion narrative, pro-life leaders must acknowledge the political lessons derived from their\u2064 failure to prepare for a post-Roe\u2064 world.<\/p>\n
Lesson\u2064 1: Winning Public Sentiment:<\/p>\n
Abraham Lincoln\u2064 famously declared that “public\u200b sentiment is everything” in a republic. Pro-lifers\u200d must recognize that winning the argument is a prerequisite for \u2064effecting legislative change. This necessitates actively engaging in \u200cdialogue and presenting compelling\u200c arguments in favor of protecting unborn life.<\/p>\n
Lesson 2: Establishing Limits, Not Elimination:<\/p>\n
A majority of Americans desire limits on abortion, but they do not support its complete elimination. Pro-lifers need to emphasize\u200c the importance of limiting abortion rather than banning it outright. By cultivating trust among voters, pro-life advocates can establish \u2064common\u200b ground and promote the\u2062 notion that the pro-abortion camp supports unrestricted abortion<\/a> up until \u2063birth.<\/p>\n
Lessons from Lincoln:<\/p>\n
Abraham Lincoln’s approach to ending slavery provides an instructive parallel for the pro-life movement. Despite viewing slavery as a “vast moral evil,” Lincoln focused\u200d on preventing its extension into new territories and states rather than attempting an\u2064 immediate and total ban.\u2063 By fighting battles that had \u200chigher chances of success, he strategically advanced the cause. Similarly, pro-lifers should avoid pursuing an outright ban \u2063on abortion and instead concentrate on areas where they can make meaningful progress.<\/p>\n
Avoiding Arbitrary Restrictions:<\/p>\n
Proposals to ban abortion after a specific number \u200bof weeks,\u2062 without a clear rationale, may not \u200bserve the interests of the\u200d pro-life movement. A 15-week ban, for example, still permits\u200c abortions well into the second trimester. Furthermore, such restrictions require significant political capital to enact and may be perceived as too extreme. Pro-lifers should instead focus on tying restrictions to significant milestones, such as a developing child’s heartbeat or the capacity for pain.<\/p>\n
Changing Public\u2064 Opinion:<\/p>\n
In order to sway public opinion, \u2064pro-life advocates \u2064should promote initiatives that create \u200cawareness about prenatal \u2063development. Requiring mothers to view ultrasounds before making abortion decisions and defending crisis pregnancy centers from attacks can humanize the unborn and challenge the \u200bprevailing narrative.<\/p>\n
Conclusion:<\/p>\n
By adopting a \u200dstrategic and nuanced \u200capproach, pro-life leaders can effectively\u200b challenge\u200b the prevailing narrative on abortion. Emphasizing the \u2064need for\u200b limits rather than outright\u2064 bans, engaging in meaningful dialogue, \u200cand tying restrictions to significant milestones can help shape public\u200c opinion and \u2063pave the way for pro-life success. Drawing inspiration from\u200d the political acumen of Abraham Lincoln<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With Ohio’s constitutional amendment passing easily, abortion advocates believe they have gained public support and a valuable political asset. They now consider abortion a winning issue, confident in their stance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2106,"featured_media":2097057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2097056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097056","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\/2106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2097056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2097057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2097056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2097056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2097056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}