Lindsey Graham Aborts GOP Campaign Strategy

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Until very recently Lindsey Graham, a Republican US senator from South Carolina, argued that the most "constitutionally sound" way to deal with abortion was to let each state determine its own policies regarding the highly controversial medical and political issue.  That, too, was the general Republican position on the matter, particularly among members of Congress after signs of a political backlash to the Supreme Court's Dobbs' decision began appearing.

Throw that hot potato to the states and keep it away from Congress!

That was the pervasive Republican strategy for dealing with the issue of abortion during the time leading up to the midterm elections.  Polling showed that it was a net negative for the GOP, and the party bosses thought it best to put as much distance as possible between the national party and the subject of abortion.  If the states wanted to engage with it, that was their business.

But yesterday Lindsey Graham had a change of heart and apparently went rogue on his party.   Graham held a press briefing - along with Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and some other leaders in the anti-abortion movement - and announced that he had filed a bill that would prohibit abortion nationwide after fifteen weeks of pregnancy, with a couple of very limited carveouts to allow the procedure cases of rape, incest, and to protect the life of. the mother.  Doctor's who failed to follow the mandates of the proposed bill would face imprisonment for up to five years.

According to news reports, Graham's bill would make abortions after fifteen weeks illegal in every state, but states that already had more restrictive laws in place would continue to be governed by their existing laws.

Most Republican politicians seemed to be taken by surprise at Graham's announcement, and most clutched their pearls and reiterated their belief that the matter could be best handled by the states.  Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, seemed to be especially displeased that Senator Graham had chosen to link the Republican Party with a national abortion ban just seven weeks out from the midterm elections.  Mitch, like the majority of his GOP senate colleagues, said the matter should be left to the states.

Democratic politicians, on the other hand, appeared eager to talk about Republican abortion bans!