Source: Politics<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court decision Friday to overturn decades of abortion precedent has only further cemented Republican and Democratic entrenchment in their positions on the issue.<\/p>\n
And the 5-4 ruling from the Court\u2019s conservative bloc <\/a>to reverse Roe v. Wade and other landmark abortion rights cases and clear the way for state governments to regulate or eliminate the practice is likely to ensure that it remains a live issue for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n \u201cThe right to choose should not be divvied up amongst states,\u201d said Stacey Abrams, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union.\u201d \u201cThe sinister practice of taking constitutional rights and allowing each state to decide the quality of your citizenship is wrong. Women deserve bodily autonomy, they deserve the right to make these choices.\u201d<\/p>\n Abrams added that abortion is a decision that ought to be left to pregnant individuals and their medical providers, rather than \u201ca political football where ideology of the leader of a state can determine the quality of life for a woman and her ability to make the choices she needs.”<\/p>\n By contrast, conservatives have hailed the decision as a victory for the \u201cpro-life movement\u201d and its half-century campaign against abortion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s satisfying to know that through the constitutional process, you can make a difference,\u201d Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on \u201cFox News Sunday\u201d in response to the overturning of the 1973 landmark decision. \u201cWhen Roe came out, we didn\u2019t burn down the Capitol as conservatives. We didn\u2019t go to liberal justices\u2019 homes and try to intimidate them.\u201d<\/p>\n Even before the ruling was officially handed down, both camps had been gauging to what degree abortion will be an animating issue for voters heading into November\u2019s elections and whether it will upend political dynamics<\/a> that were trending decidedly against Democrats in recent months.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was won through the ballot box by conservatives, and we\u2019re not gonna let liberals intimidate the rule of law system to take it away from us,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n In states that have moved to restrict \u2014 or prohibit \u2014 abortions, the issue is likely to continue percolating as Republican lawmakers explore other ways to crack down on the procedure or things related to it.<\/p>\n For instance several states are looking at ways of preventing people from using telemedicine to access abortion drugs or traveling to another state to obtain a legal abortion.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe that telemedicine abortions are safe for individuals, for women, to conduct at home,\u201d South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said on ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week with George Stephanopoulos.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, states that protect abortion rights are taking steps to make accessing those services easier \u2014 including anticipating an uptick in visitors from parts of the country where abortion will no longer be available. <\/p>\n A CBS News\/YouGov poll conducted in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision found that nearly 60 percent of those surveyed <\/a>disapproved of the ruling, including more than two-thirds of women. More than half also believe the case was “a step backward for America” compared to 31 percent who said it was “a step forward.”<\/p>\n President Joe Biden sought to tap into that sentiment in a speech Friday, saying “voters need to make their voices heard.”<\/p>\n “This fall, Roe is on the ballot. Personal freedoms are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality \u2014 they\u2019re all on the ballot.”<\/p>\n