Research Offers Insight Into Next Steps In Pro-Life Politics
Written by on September 17, 2023
Earlier this month, U.S. Senate Republicans received a closed-door briefing on the abortion issue. The information provided during that briefing yields insights that are valuable to the pro-life movement.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the senators were briefed on the results of research performed by One Nation, a nonprofit connected to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Broadly speaking, One Nation indicated that U.S. voters typically do not support complete bans on abortion. Many voters believe that laws restricting abortion should contain exceptions for situations involving rape, incest, and danger to the life or health of the mother. However, One Nation did find support for restrictions on abortions performed after 12 to 15 weeks’ gestation.
In addition, the senators were advised to provide details about their respective positions on abortion rather than simply using a term like “pro-life.” Furthermore, One Nation urged Republicans to “‘own the center’ by casting Democrats as extreme” in their opposition to any restrictions on abortion.
One Nation found that an overwhelming 71% of suburban women disagreed with Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court decision that overruled Roe v. Wade’s guarantee of abortion rights. Furthermore, 41% of Republican women disagreed with Dobbs. When asked “if they saw themselves as more pro-choice, pro-life or somewhere in between, 24% of Republican women said pro-choice, 32% said in between and 44% said pro-life.”
The One Nation research is sobering, but instructive. The pro-life movement must do a better job persuading women in general—and Republican women in particular—of the rightness of our cause. This will give policymakers confidence that voters will support them when they stand for life.
