Why Liberals Should Focus Away From Abortion

If you are a liberal, abortion is much less politically relevant than you probably think.

Now before anyone knee-jerk dismisses this essay as a typical anti-abortion "conservative rant," know that I am judging the matter only as a political issue and not as a practice itself. I do, of course, have a personal view on the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate, but that's not what this piece is about.

Rather, my argument is this: Contrary to popular belief, liberals' overwhelming support for Roe vs. Wade has in fact been a largely detrimental practice both to them and to America at large.

Of course you would never guess this from the Left's continuous focus on Roe in politics, media, and celebrity culture. But in reality, Roe vs. Wade is more symbolic than substantive, and liberals' singular focus on it detracts them from important issues that would otherwise assume primary relevance.

Abortion's legality does not actually rest on Roe vs. Wade. Should the court decision be overturned, abortion would not become suddenly illegal throughout the nation; rather, each individual state would decide its preference. And almost all current abortion clinics are located in states that, if given the choice, would most likely vote to allow the practice. USA Today recently conducted an analysis and determined that overturning Roe would close only 36 of the nation's 1819 abortion providers. Liberals are defending a court decision that does little more than uphold the status quo.

This effort, meanwhile, often influences liberals (especially moderate liberals) to vote against their other self interests. Many liberals so highly value Roe vs. Wade that it acts as their default political litmus test; the issue primarily determines whether they will vote for a particular candidate. (As a textbook example, witness the constant Roe-related grilling of John Roberts throughout his confirmation hearings.) But this often leads to moderates supporting candidates with whom they disagree on most issues except for Roe.

In the past, this problem may have remained largely a personal matter. But today, it unfortunately has become a vital issue of national security. Countless liberals who personally support strong responses against terrorism often vote for candidates weak on said issue simply because the candidates support Roe vs. Wade. These same voters will then reject able national defense types who are against Roe.

Cumulatively, these attitudes have dealt a great blow to America's fight against terrorism. This is not to say Roe vs. Wade is entirely irrelevant, but with America under threat from rogue states and fanatical terrorist organizations, national defense clearly should be a more important consideration. If these liberals could only shift some of their Roe-focused energy onto security concerns, both they and all Americans should benefit immensely.