UNLIKE, SAY, GRISWOLD, ROE WILL NEVER “BE REMOVED” AS A NATIONAL ISSUE

 

5/26/22

 

I wrote the following letter to the Wall Street Journal earlier this month in response to Peggy Noonan’s observation that “the end of Roe will be good for America.”   I am largely sympathetic to her argument, but she made a statement that made no sense, and I felt obligated to respond.   Hey, if you see something, say something, right?  The letter wasn’t published.

 

5/7/22

 

One of the problems with Peggy Noonan’s reasoning (“The End of Roe Will be Good for America,” Opinion, 5/7-5/8/22) is that she assumes that, should Roe be overturned “…as a national matter, the abortion issue (will be) removed…”   Even if Roe is overturned, the abortion issue would not be removed on any level.  The real action will be, as Ms. Noonan implies, at the state level, but we are already seeing efforts to codify Roe on the national level.   The issue is just too rich politically for either party to let fade.  

 

In fact, one could argue that the posturing on abortion would be more vociferous at the national level in a post-Roe world.  The votes taken in state legislatures would have real impact on people’s lives rather than being largely meaningless votes designed to throw red meat to those who can write campaign checks and marshal great numbers of voters.    On the other hand, the posturing at the national level would continue to be the political freebie it has long been in an abortion landscape overshadowed by Roe.