The Republican Party has suffered a huge setback due primarily to the issue of abortion, as I predicted, when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Setback as defined by a possible red ripple, but in no way a wave. The people of this country have spoken and told the extremists of the GOP that government has no place in women’s reproductive rights. Even a conservative state like Kentucky defeated a ballot measure stating that abortions in all cases are illegal. That’s one of the biggest problems with extremists. They lose peripheral vision and can only see one direction, which is straight ahead. But in order to see the big picture, one must look in every direction. People of all persuasions don’t want the government interfering in what are very personal and sensitive decisions. It has nothing to do with religion or a mission to save babies. It has to do with personal freedom, which is what the GOP used to stand for.

Politics needs to be about human beings, citizens and policies that make sense, not ideological and religious dogma. I’m fairly certain that there are at least a couple of evangelicals or religious persons that at some point had to make a decision about their health, specifically their reproductive health. Despite all of the divisiveness, as human beings, we have more in common than what divides us. No one escapes sickness and eventual death. No one is free from tragedy and sadness. Proposing laws of absolution, such as no exceptions for abortion, despite the fact that there are a multitude of medical reasons why an abortion or D&C might be necessary, is cruel and NOT the role of government.

What’s worse than that however is the fanatical hypocrisy of the extreme right. On the one hand, anger was expressed when state and city governments were requiring people to be vaccinated or released from their jobs. Or when governments were shutting down their economies in an attempt to lessen and limit the spread of Covid. These decisions were met with outrage and resistance. The claim was that it was government overreach, dangerous and un-American. On the other hand, the far right was demanding that government limit or completely outlaw abortion as a medical procedure. It’s one of the greatest examples of political hypocrisy in US history. Government intervention when it furthers an agenda but otherwise, government has no role to play in our lives. It’s incomprehensible actually.

Clearly, the GOP is out of sync with Americans when it comes to reproductive health. But what’s even worse is that there have been discussions about going after birth control as next on the agenda. That will never happen and will put the GOP at the outer fringes of extremism. If the far right continues its attack on reproductive freedoms due to their insane, dysfunctional religious views on sexuality, and privacy, the GOP will continue to lose support. Party leadership must understand what a clear rebuke of the GOP’s vision on abortion these midterms were. Failure to do so, will translate to continued loses at the polls including the White House in 2024.

There are so many other issues where the Democrats are at odds with public opinion, including the handling of the economy, inflation, energy, education and crime, that they are vulnerable and should have been very vulnerable in these midterms. But instead, the right to reproductive health, woman’s rights and freedom was instead front and center and was directly responsible for the poor showing across the country.

I’ve always been of the belief that abortion was a great talking point to the GOP base but that the party never thought that Roe would be overturned. Nor did it truly want it overturned. As long as it could keep focusing on it, its radical base would remain motivated and enthusiastic. Now that it’s happened, states will legislate iron clad laws, voted on by citizens, to ensure abortion remains both legal and accessible. So, in the end, abortion will continue unabated in blue states and help will be provided to those unfortunate enough to live in states where basic healthcare is unattainable.

Dems hold the Senate. The GOP only holds a small majority in the House, rather than the mandate they would have had, if the party had focused on the most serious issues affecting the country. Red states, which are already some of the poorest in the country, will suffer from even greater poverty, crime and a general downturn in quality of life. I remember when Roe was decided and of course the day it was recently overturned. Be careful what you wish for. The GOP asked for it and now it has it. Good luck with that!