A Note on the New Year

We have a watershed year ahead

This year has been a watershed year for abortion rights. The country has rapidly changed insofar as its treatment of pregnancy, women, and bodily autonomy since the Dobbs decision. 

While 2022 seemingly was defeat after defeat, this past one marked a resurgent movement reshaping political thinking and strategy. For decades, Republicans emphasized their opposition to abortion. Now, with unexpected losses in a climate generally favorable to them, many with national ambitions or in places where abortion access is valued have begun to play down their rhetoric against abortion. 

Ohio voters cast their support for Issue 1, which enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. This coming year will see ballot initiatives in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and elsewhere. Even in staunchly Republican areas like Arkansas, there is hope that voters will cast their ballot in support of abortion access. If it happens in places like that, Democrats would have to consider investing in party-building while Republicans would have to rethink their approaches to primary voting. 

This isn’t to say that the antiabortion movement has lost power or sway. It remains a formidable foe and plays an enormous role in who gets the Republican nomination. They managed to reshape the federal judiciary after decades of lobbying. They continue to push for a nationwide ban. And they are the most powerful forces in conservative states like Mississippi and Alabama, where the most progress needs to be made. 

For the last two years, we found success mainly because of grassroots organizing. With the presidential contest looming, Democratic party higher-ups want tighter control of the message-making, which I think is a mistake. The people on the ground have a stronger feel for the electorate's thoughts and reasons. We built the movement largely through localizing decision-making and campaigning. We shouldn’t lose sight of that. 

As for the Democratic primary, I called for President Joe Biden to step aside so that a younger candidate could race against what will likely be Donald Trump on the Republican side. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear would have national appeal. So would Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Those calls and those of others like James Carville have largely gone unheeded. So it will again be Joe Biden taking on Donald Trump, who, if elected, could stop the investigations into him by controlling the justice department. 

There are currently efforts to get him off the ballot, but that raises questions about disenfranchising Republican voters and could trigger severe civil unrest if they don’t have the choice to vote for him. Paranoia already is sky-high about the establishment and entrenched powers that are undermining what regular citizens want to secure more power. That may destabilize the country. 

We have many questions heading into 2024, most significantly about who will lead the free world after November. I intend on covering both Presidential conventions, as there are both antiabortion and abortion rights activists and supporters in both parties. So, my readers have a stake in knowing what each party is doing on abortion and other topics of interest to them. There will be a lot to report next year. I appreciate all the readers I have and the more to come.