Abortion: important without a cause?

            As the campaigns wind down, we wanted to examine one last topic area before Tuesday’s election, so we saved the best for last.

            Today, we’re talking abortion.

            Legally speaking, very few elected officials have any impact on the legality of abortion.

According to Article II of the United States Constitution, only the President can appoint Supreme Court justices, who would then be able to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade verdict that made abortion legal. 

            Even though statewide candidates, including those for governor, have little influence over the larger issue of the legality of abortion, we still obsess about candidates’ abortion position.

Pro-life or Pro – choice? What about partial birth abortion? When does life begin?

            The media continues to fuel this discussion by covering these issues on races where they have little impact on. The St . Louis Post-Dispatch ran this article July 15^th discussing Nixon’s position on abortion and how that impacts law in Missouri.

            While this article fed the frenzy and our obsession with abortion, it also answered our question about why their stances matter.
            Turns out voters like to know the answer to the pro-life or -choice questions for several possible reasons:

            1: It reveals something about ideology. A stance on this issue is not like picking a favorite color. This decision speaks volumes about a candidate and the philosophy for how they view reproductive rights.

Nixon and Spence debate. Photo by St. Louis Post-Dispatch

            2: When absolute power is absent, fragmented power will do. According to the same Post-Dispatch article, Nixon had just announced that he would allow legislation that restricted abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

            These restrictions might seem small, but these insignificant changes can add up to tight restrictions on abortion. Effectively, regulations can restrict the procedure to the point that it isn’t necessary to have it illegal if you can make the legal parameters narrow enough. We’ve seen attempts to use vague wording and state legislatures to effectively outlaw abortion — like Mississippi’s personhood amendment.

            So voters, ask away! Understand that when Nixon says he’s pro-choice, that informs not only his stance on abortion, but also issues like the availability of contraception.

             Understand that when Spence’s website says he is Pro-life and “committed to protecting human life at all stages.  That is why he has been endorsed by Missouri Right to Life for his strong pro-life beliefs,” that this ideology will influence smaller decisions that could add up to major change.