President Joe Biden has always been eager to paint himself as an understanding moderate. On the 2020 campaign trail, he seemed to be the less extreme alternative to Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. More than likely, this played a part in voter comfort. But Biden is no moderate, and his stark words and actions on abortion show that to be true.
The addition of three Trump-appointed justices to the Supreme Court shook up the Left. Chief on the minds of Democratic Party members has been abortion rights. The view is that the “right” to an abortion is threatened as never before given the makeup of the court. The brief history of the Trump appointees may suggest otherwise. Justice Neil Gorsuch has been the most conservative of the three when it comes to his decisions on abortion. This is true despite the fact that abortion rights proponents painted Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett as the biggest threats. Now, the country waits for the court’s decision in a case regarding the 15-week abortion ban that was argued before them in December 2021. The decision is sure to have ramifications.
Around the country, the number of abortions remains lower than in previous decades. At the same time, the fertility rate is at an all-time low. According to the Guttmacher Institute, “abortion restrictions were not the main driver of the decline in the U.S. abortion rate between 2011 and 2017.” There are fewer pregnancies overall. This obviously contributes to a reduction in the number of women who seek and get an abortion. Those firmly encamped on the pro-choice Left prefer to say extreme pro-life legislation is to blame for the reduction in abortion. By placing blame on Republicans nationwide, they can push for the codification of Roe v. Wade. And they can continue falsely treating abortion as nothing more than an aspect of women’s health.
States such as Texas and Mississippi, where abortion clinics are few or restrictions are in place, don’t bar women from seeking abortions elsewhere. The conclusion that women are heavily oppressed because of individual state policies is pure nonsense. Biden, keen to be seen as a champion for reproductive rights, is happy to spread the narrative. He did so at the State of the Union on Tuesday night.
Abortion defenders know that if Roe v. Wade or Planned Parenthood v. Casey were overturned, abortion wouldn’t cease to exist, but the matter would return to the states. The pro-choice crowd is terrified of the enthusiasm and momentum around protecting the unborn, especially at the state level. That’s why its members, including an abortion-supporting Catholic president, demand that Roe be codified. They look at lower numbers of abortions and newly passed state restrictions and declare that women are being subjugated and pushed toward forced birth. This is nothing but fearmongering.
It’s difficult to imagine an America where abortion ceases to exist. The upcoming Supreme Court decision is sure to inflame passions on either side. The campaign by President Biden and the Democrats to “protect” Roe and Casey will continue. But their narrative is nothing but extreme.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
