A few questions for Republicans about abortion

Recently, voters sent a very clear message to the Republican Party – when choice is on the ballot, choice wins. 

It’s a message that is supported by the fact that the majority of Americans support access to abortion, and anyone who is not willing to accept this reality is out of step with the American people. 

As I reflect on the incredible victories that Democrats had – solidifying control of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, re-electing a pro-choice governor in ruby-red Kentucky, and enshrining abortion access in Ohio’s state constitution, I wonder: 

House Speaker Mike Johnson does not seem to care about the reproductive health of women nor that he is out of step with the American people. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Will members of the GOP ever accept that Americans in both parties are not going to part with fundamental freedoms? 

THE REAL REASON REPUBLICANS AREN'T WINNING SWING VOTERS

As interim president of EMILYs List, a group that is laser focused on electing Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot, I often think about what Justice Samuel Alito said in his writing as our constitutional right to an abortion was handed over to the states in the 2021 Dobbs decision, "Women are not without electoral or political power." 

And in every election since then, we have taken Alito’s words to heart. We have risen to the challenge and we continue to win – over and over and over again. 

Voters are too smart to believe the fake promises of "compromise" because we know that one of the most important decisions of a person’s life – when and how to start a family – does not belong in the hands of politicians. 

And as both Democratic and Republican voters continue to speak loudly at the ballot box on this topic, the question remains: Will extreme anti-choice Republicans hear us and stop trying to control our bodies? 

ROLE ABORTION RIGHTS PLAYED ON ELECTION DAY: UNDERESTIMATED BY GOP OR OVERSTATED BY DEMOCRATS?

One day after the incredible victories in Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, we saw Republicans at the GOP presidential primary candidates double down on their anti-choice stances. And after voters in Ohio made their position on abortion access clear through a referendum, Republicans are still planning to work overtime to block the will of the people. 

This is not the anti-democratic America that any of us, no matter party affiliation, should be working toward. Instead, we should be working to maintain the practices that represent the views of the majority. 

That is why the work I do every day is so very important. My colleagues and I know that government works best when it truly represents the interests of the people. The fact remains that on the topic of abortion, the people have spoken. Will Republicans listen? 

The answer to this and all of my questions is seemingly no – not as long as extremism continues to grip the GOP in a tight chokehold with no plans of letting go. 

That especially seems to be what has happened even at the highest ranks with the new speaker of House, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. Hailing from a state with one of the highest maternal death rates in the nation, Johnson does not seem to care about the reproductive health of women nor that he is out of step with the American people. 

REPUBLICANS HAVE TO GET REAL ABOUT ABORTION TO WIN IN 2024

In 2021, Johnson co-sponsored a bill that would be a total federal abortion ban from conception with no exceptions. This federal abortion ban would overrule any state laws, even in states that have protected abortion rights.

Johnson celebrated efforts to punish providers, specifically praising a Louisiana law that would mean those who provide abortion care can be "imprisoned at hard labor for 1-10 yrs & fined $10K-$100K."

He has made his intention around abortion no secret, saying, "Roe and Casey created a so-called constitutional right to abortion in air quotes. They created it out of thin air."

Johnson also voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law. 

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It is clear that in the places where it counts – in the halls of power, Republicans aren’t listening to the American people, including a large number of registered Republican voters. They continue to hide their true intentions, but what American voters know is that a ban is a ban, no matter how you slice it. There is no compromise when it comes to our health and our freedom. 

If Republican candidates continue to refuse to listen, Democrats will continue to win.

Republicans, can you understand that?

Jessica Mackler is the interim president of EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics.